Dampfmaschinenhaus

Water features have always been among the most important design elements in gardens, but the fountains and streams that rippled so sweetly were dependent on a technical masterpiece for their time. In the 19th century, the steam pump-house beside Neustadt Havelbucht supplied the water features in Sanssouci Park. The most charming as well as the strangest building in Potsdam, it is a remarkable example of early 19th-century industrial, functional architecture. Frederick William IV had the only pump-house in the Moorish style built by Ludwig Persius in 1841-43. The building, still visible from Sanssouci Palace at that time, created a picturesque architectural highlight in Potsdam’s cultural landscape.

• Unique building in Moorish style