Attraction · Potsdam · Updated on 1 November 2026.

Chinese House in Potsdam

Chinese House is an attraction in Potsdam, Brandenburg. This place has a story in the app. 10 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 690 m you'll find a bench, a public toilet and a water point.

Directions in Google Maps

The story

Wikipedia ↗

Story · Chinese House

You're standing at the Chinese House, a tea pavilion in Sanssouci Park, about seven hundred metres southwest of the summer palace. Frederick the Great had it built to decorate his flower and vegetable garden. Take a slow walk around it. The building is shaped like a trefoil: a round core with three rooms, and open spaces in between under a rolling copper tent roof.

Read the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).

Opening hours and admission

Opening hours: May-Oct: Tu-Su,PH 10:00-17:30; Nov-Apr off
Admission: Paid
Wheelchair: Not accessible

Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.

Photos

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.

1 / 10

Photo: Marek Śliwecki · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Chinese House in Potsdam: tea pavilion in Sanssouci Park

The Chinese House in Potsdam is a tea pavilion in the Sanssouci park. Frederik de Grote had it built as an ornament for his flower and kitchen gardens. Dating from 1756, the pavilion shows how fashionable everything from China was in Europe at the time. That fashion is called chinoiserie. You will find it on Am Grünen Gitter, in Potsdam in Brandenburg. The Sanssouci summer palace lies about 700 metres north-east of the pavilion.

What you see at the Chinesisches Haus

The building has the shape of a cloverleaf. The round central section has 3 rooms, with open spaces between them beneath the copper tent roof. Around the building stand gilded sandstone columns. At the base of the columns sit gilded figures eating, drinking and making music, and their faces look distinctly European. Right at the top of the dome stands a golden Chinese figure with an open parasol. You enter from the north side, into the round central hall. The walls are made of stucco marble. Above the doors sit gilded monkeys holding musical instruments. On the ceiling by Thomas Huber, men lean over a balustrade, among parrots and monkeys. Between the rooms hang painted silk panels with flowers; these were recreated from small original fragments. There is also a collection of porcelain. A few metres south-east stands the former Chinese kitchen. You can recognise the little building by its hexagonal windows.

Chinese House in Potsdam: history and construction

Frederick took inspiration for this pavilion from a clover-shaped building from 1738 in Lunéville. The garden architect Johann Gottfried Büring designed the building. Construction began in 1755 and continued until 1764, a long time because the funds were limited. The building itself stood for some time, but the rooms were only furnished after 1763. From then on, the pavilion could really serve as a tea house in the garden of Sanssouci.

Toilets, drinking water and benches nearby

There are plenty of benches around the Chinese House. The nearest bench is 22 metres away, by Park Sanssouci, and there are 110 benches within 500 metres. A public toilet is also available by Park Sanssouci, 246 metres away. This public toilet is free to use and wheelchair accessible. Within 500 metres there are 2 public toilets in total. Drinking water is a little further away, as there is no water point within 500 metres of the Chinese House. The nearest water point is 690 metres away, by the Botanischer Garten der Universität Potsdam, so bring your own water if you plan to stay here for a while.

Facilities near Chinese House

The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No bike pump or honesty box within 1 km.

Well-known points of interest nearby

50 well-known points of interest nearby, those with an audio tour first. 10 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km.

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Sanssouci Palace · 620 m

Photo: W. Bulach · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Glienicker Brücke · 4.2 km

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Einstein Tower · 3.2 km

Photo: A.Savin · Wikimedia Commons · FALView the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Schloss Cecilienhof · 3.4 km

Photo: ernstol · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

AttractionAudio story · 2 min

Schloss Glienicke · 4.6 km

Photo: Suse · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Hear the story of Sanssouci Palace on the spot with the app

All 82 points of interest in Potsdam →

Also within walking distance

The 5 nearest points of interest with a story, within 2 km.

All 82 points of interest in Potsdam →

Walks within 2 km

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Frequently asked questions

Where is the Chinese House in Potsdam?

The Chinesisches Haus is at Am Grünen Gitter 11, 14469 Potsdam, in Park Sanssouci.

When was the Chinese House in Potsdam built?

Construction of the Chinesisches Haus took place from 1755 to 1764. It took so long because funds were short during the war, and the rooms were only furnished after 1763.

Who designed the Chinese House in Potsdam?

Garden architect Johann Gottfried Büring designed the Chinesisches Haus. Frederick had it built as an ornament for his flower and kitchen gardens.

Are there benches near the Chinese House in Potsdam?

Yes, the nearest bench is 22 metres from the Chinesisches Haus, in Park Sanssouci. There are 110 benches within 500 metres.

Is there a toilet near the Chinese House in Potsdam?

Yes, the nearest public toilet is 246 metres from the Chinesisches Haus, in Park Sanssouci. It is free and wheelchair accessible, and there are 2 public toilets within 500 metres.

Is there drinking water near the Chinese House in Potsdam?

No, there is no drinking water point within 500 metres of the Chinesisches Haus. The nearest one is 690 metres away, at the Botanischer Garten der Universität Potsdam.