Langer Stall

The Lange Stall, an imposing structure 170 meters long, was built in 1734 under Frederick William I according to plans by Pierre des Gayette as a single-story riding and drill house with a steep gabled roof. Contrary to its name, the Lange Stall ("Long Horse Stables") was used by the Potsdam garrison. The structure's design, with a hanging support system spanning the entire building's depth of 23 meters, created a large open space without columns, suitable for soldier drills.

In front of the southern timber-framed gable, Frederick the Great commissioned the construction of an impressive solid facade in 1781, designed by Georg Christian Unger. It was modeled after Palladian architecture from Vicenza. The grand facade, with its attached columned architecture, rises above a rusticated ground floor. The central part of the facade protrudes significantly in the form of a temple with a triangular pediment. This building, which served purely as a backdrop to completely conceal the simple timber-framed gable next to the Garnisonkirche, exemplifies how strongly Frederick the Great sought to transform the royal city, which had been designed by his father in a simpler, more functional style.

During the air raid on Potsdam on April 14, 1945, the Lange Stall caught fire and the large timber structure was completely destroyed. The protected portal from 1781 survived as a ruin and was restored in 1983/84. A residential building will be constructed on the site of the former Lange Stall in the future.