Französische Kirche

Französische Kirche stands at Potsdam’s southeastern Bassinplatz edge, between the Dutch Quarter and French Quarter. It is an Evangelical church known as the Temple de Potsdam. Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff designed this late work for the city’s French Reformed community. The building remains the oldest surviving church in Potsdam’s historic city area.

Construction for the growing congregation took place in 1752 and 1753. Builders reached firm ground nearly six metres below the swampy site. Its oval plan measures 19.83 by 15.23 metres, with walls 1.65 metres thick. A central dome and portico reflect the Pantheon in Rome. The relatively flat dome impressed Karl Friedrich Schinkel as a daring architectural feature.

Neglect after the 1945 bombing caused further deterioration, although the damage itself remained limited. Restoration from the 1980s brought major interior and exterior repairs through 2003. Inside, Huguenot worship centres on the congregation, Bible, pulpit and communion table. Two large entrance figures represent Charity and Hope.

City: Potsdam
Content updated: 2026-06-22

Image: Andreas Ludwig KrügerPublic domain
Image: Unknown authorUnknown authorPublic domain
Image: Max Baur CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Image: Doris Antony, Berlin CC BY-SA 3.0
Image: Doris Antony, Berlin CC BY-SA 3.0

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