About this place
Tucked between the Maulbeerallee and the wooded Klausberg, the Paradiesgarten is the most intimate garden in Sanssouci. Peter Joseph Lenné created it in 1844 for King Frederick William IV and his Bavarian wife Elisabeth as a sheltered retreat full of water: a cascade, a long narrow basin and a pond with marsh plants and water lilies. Its centrepiece is the Atrium or Stibadium of 1846, Ludwig Persius's last work, a roofless Roman style pavilion with a fountain basin, mosaic floor, curved stone bench and a frieze of coloured glass vases, inspired by Pliny the Younger's descriptions of his country villas. Winding paths, deliberately narrow and indirect, recall the king's idea that the road to paradise is never straight. Fully restored in 2008 and 2009, the garden is free to enter and easy to miss, which is exactly its charm.
Key facts
- 1844 year — Lenné laid out the garden for King Frederick William IV and Queen Elisabeth
- 40 glass vases — Once glowed in the frieze of the Atrium; only 14 originals survived and the rest were recreated in Bohemia
- 830000 euros — Approximate cost of restoring the Persius pavilion, reopened on 13 September 2009
📍 Kronprinzenweg, 14469, Potsdam