This palace is the largest of the palaces on the Sanssouci Park grounds, built by King Frederich II…read more(aka Frederick the Great) from 1763 to 1769 as a celebration of the Prussian success in the Seven Years War. Used mostly for royal functions like reviving guests and dignitaries, it was less of a residence though the king did occasionally stay in chambers located in the south section of the palace. Its style featured Baroque tastes as compared to the Rococo influences seen in its sister Sanssouci Palace.
After the passing of Frederick the Great, the castle fell into disuse until 70 years later it became the summer residence of the crown prince who became German emperor Frederick III, until ownership transferred to Wilhelm II who renovated and modernized the building until his abdication in 1918. In following times the palace became a museum up thru WW II, was looted and then had most of its furnishings returned in the 1970s. In the contemporary past few decades this building has once again become a museum.
Neues Palais is accessible to visitors via guided tours only, which takes about 40-45 minutes and start about once every 20 minutes. They have strict capacity caps per timeslot and you must show up 10-15 minutes prior to your time in order to be accounted for. If you're late you'll forfeit your spot. There are multiple ticket combo packages that give access to different sites within the park. Note that if you book the Sanssouci+ package, timeslots for this palace still need to be reserved separately at a ticket counter at either Schloß Sanssouci or at a park info booth. I enjoyed the tour which was given in both German and English.
As of October 2024 and currently in February 2025 the King's Apartments are closed for renovations. I believe when they are open they are usually part of the guided tour. The Communs, which are the two palace-like structures connected by a colonnade, directly opposite the front of the castle, were originally the kitchen and servants quarters. They are not open to the public, though the building on the left that was the kitchen is currently in use by the University of Potsdam.
Worth mentioning that there is a theater in south section the palace also designed in the Baroque style serves as a performance venue for current concerts and cultural events. Though it wasn't part of the tour, it looked like there were preparations for an evening show ongoing during a late Saturday afternoon when I visited. While regular traffic can't drive up to the palace, there are car-accessible streets a short 5-8 min walk away.
