Roemische Baeder

(Roman Baths)
Lennéstrasse / Park Sanssouci

Built by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Ludwig Persius for Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (IV). The design was heavily influenced by the Prince, who produced a number of sketches to illustrate his ideas. Construction took over a decade (1829 - 1840).

Called the "Roman Baths", the architecture mixed Roman and 15th Century Italian ideas. The result, while having elements of a Roman bathhouse, was never intended to be used as such. It was more a romantic fantasy, enhanced by its position on the edge of a small man-made lake.