About this place
Hidden between the Chinese Kitchen and the Church of Peace, Villa Illaire is one of the quieter jewels of Park Sanssouci. The site was originally occupied by the modest house of the court gardener Voss, but between 1844 and 1846 Frederick William IV had it rebuilt as a residence and office for his Kabinettsrat Ernst Emil Illaire, the official through whom all the king's paperwork flowed. The plans were drawn by Ludwig Persius, the Schinkel pupil who gave Potsdam its Italian skyline, and completed after his early death in 1845 by Ludwig Ferdinand Hesse. With its asymmetrical tower, terracotta ornaments and separate servants' wing, the ensemble is a textbook example of the Italian villa style the king adored. Nicknamed the Kleines Kabinettshaus, it later housed the palace administration after 1945 and is a private residence today. The facades were carefully restored between 2019 and 2021, and the neighbouring Marlygarten, once the Soldier King's kitchen garden, offers a peaceful stroll on the way to the Church of Peace.
Key facts
- 1844 year — Conversion of the old court gardener's house into the villa began; it was completed in 1846
- 42 years — Age at which architect Ludwig Persius died in 1845, leaving Ludwig Ferdinand Hesse to finish the building
- 1866 year — Death of Ernst Emil Illaire, the king's cabinet councillor, after whom the villa is named
📍 Am Grünen Gitter 5, 14469, Potsdam