Dragon House, Potsdam

The Dragon House (Drachenhaus) is a historical building located in Potsdam, on the southern slope of the Klausberg, adjacent to the northern edge of Sanssouci Park. It was commissioned by King Frederick the Great of Prussia and constructed between 1770 and 1772, reflecting the Chinoiserie style popular at the time. The building, designed to imitate a Chinese pagoda, was designed by architect Carl von Gontard. The Dragon House served as the residence for the vineyard's vintner, although the vintners never moved into the pagoda.

The name "Dragon House" derives from the sixteen dragon sculptures adorning the corners of its concave roofs. This structure was one of several Chinoiserie-inspired projects by Frederick the Great, following the construction of the Chinese House in Sanssouci Park six years earlier. Frederick’s enthusiasm for Far Eastern architectural styles was influenced by Sir William Chambers's works, including "Designs of Chinese Buildings" (1757) and "Plans, Elevations, Section and Perspective Views of the Gardens and Buildings at Kew" (1763), which featured the Great Pagoda at Kew, near London.

The Dragon House is an octagonal, four-story structure that was intended to serve as both a decorative element and as living quarters for the wine growers working in the neighboring vineyard. However, due to its rapid deterioration, it underwent restoration in 1787 and since then has been continually inhabited, primarily by the overseer of the nearby Belvedere on the Klausberg. Over time, the building was expanded with the addition of extra rooms, a laundry, and three stables to accommodate its inhabitants. Since 1934, the Dragon House has been repurposed for gastronomical use, highlighting its ongoing adaptive reuse over the centuries.