Orangerie

Orangerie stands in Potsdam’s Neuer Garten as an 86-metre, single-storey building designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans. Twenty-six nearly floor-to-ceiling arched windows rhythmically shape its long façade. At the eastern end, an Egyptian-style portal faces the avenue leading towards the Marble Palace, creating a clear visual focus. A western arched gate completes the exterior.

Built between 1791 and 1793, the building combines a central Palmensaal with two plant halls designed for potted plants. The Palmensaal first served as a concert hall. Naturalistic palm carvings decorate the hall, while each adjoining plant hall measures 25 metres long, six metres wide, and six metres high. Heating, porous clay tiles, ceiling vents, and openable windows protect plants from winter cold and excess moisture.

A separate warmer room accommodates ailing plants, adding a practical detail to this carefully managed botanical setting. The building later housed a theatre and opera house, then sheltered Hohenzollern orange trees until 1945. Postwar use as an officers’ casino led to deterioration. Restoration began in 1953, and full restoration in 1994 returned the spaces to their original horticultural role. Young orange trees still grow inside, linking architecture with seasonal plant care.