Palace of No Worries lay in Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg, southwest of Berlin. Its name came from the phrase sans souci, meaning carefree. It was a Rococo summer palace designed from sketches by King Frederick II of Prussia and built between 1745 and 1747.
Frederick the Great often played the flute in this palace. In fact, besides his political and military talents, Frederick William II was also a composer. He wrote four symphonies and over a hundred flute pieces, yet he had what could only be called an unhappy childhood. His father, Frederick I, wanted him to be more like a German king, rather than spending his time playing the flute and reading books in the language of France. Father and son clashed fiercely, and at one point he even tried to flee from his autocratic father, who was obsessed with war and military discipline.
In 1740, Frederick I died, and Frederick II ascended the throne. It was as if he had finally gained his freedom. Not only could he play the flute whenever and wherever he wished, he could also build a Rococo summer palace and perform there without a care in the world.
Goethe had once said that the moment a person declared himself free, he would simultaneously feel restricted; if he dared declare himself restricted, he would feel free.
Georgiana did not know whether those gossiping in the sitting room felt that sense of restriction. What Goethe meant was that a person's freedom was not absolute; it was always bound by certain rules.
At the entrance to Palace of No Worries stood a windmill that clashed with its surroundings. The great black windmill creaked and groaned every day, making it impossible for Frederick II, playing his flute in the palace, to have any peace. Back when