| Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg | |
| Established: | 1 January 1995 |
| Mission: | Heritage conservation |
| Head: | Hartmut Dorgerloh |
| Head Label: | Chairman |
| Location: | Potsdam |
| Website: | www.spsg.de |
The Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (German: Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg; SPSG) was founded by a treaty of 23 August 1994 between the German federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg as a public foundation following German reunification. The treaty came into force on 1 January 1995.The foundation is separate from the considerably larger Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz).
The SPSG is an amalgamation of the Potsdam-Sanssouci State Palaces and Gardens (Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Potsdam-Sanssouci) in the former East Germany and the State Palaces and Gardens Administration (Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten) in West Berlin that had been formed following the division of Germany. These institutions were formed from the Prussian State Palaces and Gardens Administration that had been founded on 1 April 1927 as a result of the apportionment of assets and liabilities between the House of Hohenzollern and the Prussian state and which was disbanded in 1945.
The SPSG has its headquarters in Brandenburg's capital city, Potsdam. Its owners are the states of Berlin (21.35%) and Brandenburg (36.60%) and the federal government (42.05%) (as at: 2007). The foundation receives other support from numerous societies and private sponsors.
The Berlin-Brandenburg Foundation For Prussian Palaces and Gardens was listed in 2001 in the "Blue Book" that publishes a list of heritage sites in eastern Germany that are of national significance and currently includes 20 so-called "cultural beacons" (kulturelle Leuchttürme). The selection of heritage sites was based on an initiative of the commissaries of the Federal Office of Heritage and the Media and voted on by the East German ministers of culture.
The Foundation manages and administers approximately 500 employees in Potsdam, Brandenburg and Berlin, about 300 buildings or structures, including more than 150 historic buildings and nearly 800acres of gardens, with Potsdam-Berlin's cultural landscape forming the largest part. With the treaty of SPSG coming into force, these land and buildings are included in the inventory:
Buildings and parks in Potsdam:
Historic buildings in Potsdam outside the parks:
Castles in Brandenburg:
In 2001 palaces in Paretz and Oranienburg were added in order to support museums.