The Marble Palace sits on the shore of the Heiliger See in the Neuer Garten — a small, elegant neoclassical building faced in Silesian marble, designed by Carl von Gontard in the 1780s for Frederick William II. It is one of the more intimate of the Potsdam palaces, with rooms on a human scale and a lovely position directly above the water. The upper storey was added later by Schinkel, giving the building a slightly awkward but charming two-storey form.
The interior is restored and open to visitors, with original furniture and decorative arts from the late 18th century. The rooms reflect the period's taste for chinoiserie, classical antiquity, and the informal domestic luxury that was fashionable in the age just before the French Revolution. The palace is in the Neuer Garten park and can be combined easily with a visit to Cecilienhof at the northern end of the same park.