This year the three working sessions will be held at the Kutschstall at the New Market (Neuer Markt), in many ways an epitomy of the historic Potsdam. Closeby, the baroque château, which was destroyed during the Second World War, is currently being rebuilt. The historic site will host the Brandenburg federal state parliament from 2011 onwards.

The public plenary session and the prize giving ceremony that follow, will take place in the historical Schloss Theatre at the Neue Palais. The Neue Palais is the largest building in Sanssouci Park. At Frederick II’s request it was erected at the western end of the main avenue in Sanssouci Park according to plans by Johann Gottfried Büring, Heinrich Ludwig Manger and Carl von Gontard between 1763 and 1769. The formidable castle with the high tambour cupola served mainly a representational purpose. Frederick himself hardly ever stayed there. As in previous years the guests are invited to the Neue Kammern (New Chambers) for the concluding gala dinner.

Kutschstall “Le Manège“
In 1671, the elector Friedrich Wilhelm authorised the construction of a riding stable, not far from his residence at the “Alter Markt“.
In 1725, the stables were narrowed, the ground was resurfaced with cobbles and the entire area was renamed – the “Neue Markt“ was born. Under Frederick II, the “Neue Markt” was lavishly enlarged, so that the riding stables did not correspond anymore to contemporary architectonic and aesthetic demands. The court master-builder, Andreas Ludwig Krüger, thus redesigned the constructions according to early-classical norms between 1787 and 1789. Until 1918, horses from the court were still held at the “Kutschstall“. Since 2001, the building is home to the House of the Brandenburg-Prussian History, a museum documenting the history of the region in the context of Prussian rule.
In 2006, K&K Events, in collaboration with the entrepreneur Hasso Plattner, opened on historic ground the benignly restored buildings behind the old riding stables, now hosting the restaurant “Der Hammer“ and the hall “Le Manège“.
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New Palace and Theatre
At the Western end of the main avenue of the parks of Sanssouci arises an impressive castle, whose tambour cupola can be recognised from afar: the New Palace. The huge grounds were obviously meant to serve representative purposes as opposed to the more intimate and modest castle at the vineyard. The New Palace was the last castle Frederick the Great had built in his park. It was a demonstration of the power and wealth of the Prussian state after the years of deprivation during the Seven Years’ War (1756 -1763).
Frederick himself hardly ever lived here, and it was used mainly for guests and receptions. It was not until William II, the last German Emperor, who chose it as his favourite residence again. The theatre, one of the oldest baroque theatres in original condition, is today still used for performances by the ensemble of the Hans-Otto-Theater (Winter opera) and the musical festivals Potsdam-Sanssouci and „Potsdamer Hofkonzerte“.
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New Chambers
The New Chambers in Sanssouci Park was originally built as an Orangery in 1745-1747 according to a design by Knobelsdorff. Between 1771 and 1775 the building was converted by Georg Christian Unger into Frederick the Great's guest palace. During that conversion the rich rococo furnishings were designed. In the “New Chambers” as the castle had been called from then on visitors can admire an arrangement of lavishly decorated parlours and apartments, created by the most famous artists during the time of Frederick the Great. A highlight in the succession of rooms is the jasper hall – a square room lined with gemstones. A ceiling fresco with an image of Venus, the ideal of beauty of the 18th century, tops off this room. In the adjacent Ovid Gallery, scenes of the roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses are depicted in precious golden reliefs – a favourite topic of Frederick the Great. Numerous paintings of views of the city of Potsdam from the 18th century complete the exquisite decoration.
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