Museumsportal Berlin

The hunting lodge Jagdschloss Stern at the Potsdam Parforceheide was built, from 1730 to 1732, in the style of a simple Dutch town house. Frederick William I. was very reluctant of the luxurious way of life of the royal houses and the effusive ornaments of the Baroque. He preferred clarity and lucidity at designing his buildings. Under his rule, a practical construction style dominated in Brandenburg-Prussia. Thus, Jagdschloss Stern reflects in its simplicity the frugal and spartan way of life of the so-called Soldiers´ King. The building, which was designed only for hunting stays, was in the centre of a wide area, designed as a radial system of forest aisles, for coursings. The area redesigned for the coursing was therefore named Parforceheide (parforce heath). Here, the King enjoyed his passion for hunt. It was the only new building under Frederick William I.