Potsdam, the capital of the federal state of Brandenburg, borders
directly on Berlin with a good 180,000 inhabitants. The extensive
cultural landscapes with parks and lakes, hills and castles that have
been laid out lavishly and over several centuries were included in the
list of the world cultural and natural heritage of mankind by UNESCO in
1990 as the largest ensemble of German world heritage sites.
Potsdam was first mentioned in a document in 993 under the name
"Poztupimi". The Slavic settlement was donated by Emperor Otto III.
transferred to the monastery in Quedlinburg. In 1157 Albrecht the Bear
conquered the settlement and assigned it to the new Mark Brandenburg. In
1317 a castle was built in the outpost at the Havel crossing, and in
1347 Potsdam was granted city rights. In 1415 the Mark Brandenburg was
transferred to the House of Hohenzollern as a fief, which was to remain
so until the end of the First World War.
In 1653, Potsdam was
named the second seat of residence in Brandenburg-Prussia, alongside
Berlin. The "Great Elector" Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg
(1620-1688) had the palace built from 1660-1682, laid out the pleasure
garden, attracted French refugees with the Edict of Potsdam on November
8, 1685 and made Potsdam a residence. His grandson King Friedrich
Wilhelm I declared Potsdam a garrison town, carried out the baroque town
expansions (1733-1742), had the town wall erected, the town canal built
and the Dutch quarter built. The Havel residence owes its splendor to
his successor, Frederick the Great. Under him, the park and the
Sanssouci Palace and the New Palace were created in front of the city.
In the city area, Friedrich gave the city palace its baroque design and
turned Potsdam into a baroque synthesis of the arts with hundreds of
magnificent conversions and new buildings. Friedrich Wilhelm IV expanded
and changed Sanssouci Park under the direction of Peter Joseph Lenné and
had Charlottenhof Palace and the Orangery Palace built there.
From April 14th to 15th, 1945, in the so-called "Potsdam Night", an air
raid by the British Royal Air Force took place, which destroyed large
parts of Potsdam's city centre. After the war, Potsdam was rebuilt
mainly with modern buildings during the SED rule. After the fall of
communism in 1989, attempts were made to revive the historic townscape
in Potsdam's city center by reconstructing baroque buildings and the
city canal.
The city received international attention as the
venue of the "Potsdam Conference" in 1945 in Cecilienhof Palace, at
which the three main allies of World War II decided on Germany's future.
The city of Potsdam is divided into 34 districts and 84 statistical
districts. The following 8 urban areas provide an overview:
Potsdam
north
Northern Suburbs
Western Suburbs
Downtown
Babelsberg
Potsdam south
Potsdam Southeast
Northern districts
Potsdam's outstanding sights undoubtedly include the palaces,
gardens and buildings of the UNESCO World Heritage. In addition, the
city offers a variety of other historical sights, cultural
institutions and natural landscapes that are worth a visit. For a
better overview, the sights and facilities are sorted by district
according to the UNESCO World Heritage.
UNESCO world heritage
Park Sanssouci (Sanssouci), Park Sanssouci, To the historic mill,
14469 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 9496-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107,
e-mail: info@spsg.de. Sanssouci Park is one of the most beautiful
gardens in Germany and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage. With an
area of 290 hectares and a path length of 70 km, it is the largest
park in Potsdam and the Mark Brandenburg. The grounds of Sanssouci,
originally in French taste, later extended by Lenné with an English
park (Charlottenhof), have lovely prospects and contain many marble
statues. There is a large pool in front of the castle terrace, from
which a fountain rises up to a height of 30m. In the park itself
there are a number of other sights that are also part of the World
Heritage. Open: sunrise to sunset. Price: free entry, donation
possible.
Sanssouci Castle
(Sanssouci), Sanssouci Palace, Maulbeerallee, 14469 Potsdam. Tel.:
+49 331 9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail: info@spsg.de.
Sanssouci Palace was built between 1745 and 1747 by G.W. built by
Knobelsdorff. It stands on the plateau of the so-called Terrace of
Sanssouci, a 20m high hill with a lovely view. The main building, 97
m long and 15 m deep, is only one storey high and has a small curve
with a niche on the wings, in the middle of the front facing the
garden a flat rounded protrusion with a dome supported by colossal
caryatids , and on the other front, facing the hill of ruins, a
colonnade of 88 Corinthian columns forming a semicircle. Guided
tours and visits with audio guides are offered in several languages.
Open: Tue-Sun 10-17 (Nov-Dec 2017), Tue-Sun 10-16:30 (Jan-Mar 2018),
Tue-Sun 10-17:30 (Apr-Oct 2018). Price: regular: €12, reduced: €8,
Sanssouci+ (all castles on one day) regular: €19, reduced: €14,
photo permit day ticket (valid for all castles): €3 €. Accepted
payment methods: Master, Visa.
Neues Palais, Neues Palais, Am
Neuen Palais, 14469 Potsdam (shortest walk from Sanssouci train
station). Tel.: +49 331 9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail:
info@spsg.de. The magnificent New Palace is located at the western
end of Sanssouci Park, built in 1763-69 under Frederick the Great
immediately after the end of the Seven Years' War. It is the
triumphant expression of the final attachment of Silesia (the pearl
of the Habsburg crown) to Prussia. Kaiser Friedrich (III.) was born
in the New Palace and died there after only 99 days of regency from
cancer of the larynx in 1888 ("year of the three emperors") and
therefore the New Palace was briefly named "Friedrichskron" after
him. On July 31, 1914, his son, Kaiser Wilhelm II, signed the
declaration of the state of war of the German Empire in the New
Palace - de facto the beginning of the First World War for Germany!
Like many places in Potsdam, the New Palace also "breathes" German
history. Open: Wed-Mon 10am-5pm (Nov-Dec 2017), Wed-Mon 10am-4:30pm
(Jan-Mar 2018), Wed-Mon 10am-5:30pm (Apr-Oct 2018). Price: regular:
€8, reduced: €6, Sanssouci+ (all castles on one day) regular: €19,
reduced: €14, photo permit day ticket (valid for all castles): €3 €.
Accepted payment methods: Master, Visa.
Schloss
Charlottenhof, Schloss Charlottenhof, Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 34a,
14471 Potsdam (nearest access via the Charlottenhof train station or
tram stop). Tel.: +49 331 9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail:
info@spsg.de. Charlottenhof Palace is located southwest of
Sanssouci. It was the summer residence of Crown Prince Friedrich
Wilhelm (1795-1861), who from 1840 was King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of
Prussia. Open: Tue-Sun 10-17:30 (May-Oct 2018). Price: regular: €6,
reduced: €5, Sanssouci+ (all castles on one day) regular: €19,
reduced: €14, photo permit day ticket (valid for all castles): €3 €.
Accepted payment methods: Master, Visa.
Orangery Palace,
Orangery Palace, An der Orangery 3-5, 14469 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331
9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail: info@spsg.de. The 298 m
long orangery palace is a building completed in 1856, the central
body of which forms a richly articulated atrium with a vestibule, on
the roof of which two tower-like superstructures rise. In the very
richly decorated hall of this main part, there is a Raphael Gallery,
that is, a collection of careful copies of 45 of the master's most
famous paintings. The long side buildings, adorned with 16 marble
statues in niches, are designed to winter the large collection of
orange trees that adorn the terraces in front of the castle during
the summer. The marble statue of Friedrich Wilhelm IV (by Bläser,
1873) stands in front of the columned courtyard of the Orangery.
Open: Sat-Sun 10-17:30 (Apr 2018), Tue-Sun 10-17:30 (Mar-Oct 2018).
Price: regular: €6, reduced: €5, Sanssouci+ (all castles on one day)
regular: €19, reduced: €14, photo permit day ticket (valid for all
castles): €3 €. Accepted payment methods: Master, Visa.
Chinese House, Chinese House in Park Sanssouci, Am Grünengitter,
14469 Potsdam. Phone: +49 331 9694-200, email: info@spsg.de. The
Chinese House, also known as the Chinese Tea House, is a garden
pavilion in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. Frederick the Great had the
building erected about seven hundred meters southwest of the
Sanssouci summer palace to decorate his ornamental and kitchen
garden. The master builder Johann Gottfried Büring was commissioned
with the planning. Between 1755 and 1764 he created a pavilion in
the style of the chinoiserie, a mixture of ornamental stylistic
elements of the rococo and parts of East Asian designs, based on the
king's sketches. Open: Tue-Sun 10-17:30 (May-Oct 2018). Price:
regular: €4, reduced: €3, Sanssouci+ (all castles on one day)
regular: €19, reduced: €14, photo permit day ticket (valid for all
castles): €3 €. Accepted payment methods: Master, Visa.
Historic Mill of Sanssouci (Historic Windmill). Tel.: +49 331
9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail: info@spsg.de. To the west
of the castle is the 9 windmill, known through anecdotes, which
burned down during the fighting in 1945, but was rebuilt from 1989
(completion + reopening for the 1000th anniversary of Potsdam in
1993). Open: Sat-Sun 10-16 (Jan-Mar 2018), Mon-Sun 10-18 (Apr-Oct
2018). Price: regular: €4, pupils/students/apprentices: €3, children
6-14 years €2. €, children 0-5 years free admission, Sanssouci+ (all
castles on one day) regular: €19, reduced: €14, photo permit day
ticket (valid for all castles): €3. Accepted payment methods:
Master, Visa.
Other sights in Park Sanssouci
Other smaller
but interesting buildings in the park include the Friendship Temple
with the statue of the Margravine of Bayreuth, the sister of
Frederick the Great, the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum with the tombs
of Prussian rulers and the Neptune Grotto with a shell and others.
New Garden Potsdam, New Garden, Am Neuen Garten, 14469 Potsdam.
Tel.: +49 331 9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail: info@spsg.de.
The New Garden covers 102.5 hectares and is the third largest garden
monument in Potsdam. It almost completely encloses the Holy See and
borders on the Jungfernsee. From 1787, Friedrich Wilhelm II had a
new garden laid out on this site, which was intended to contrast
with the baroque Sanssouci Park. In the New Garden there are
numerous other sights that also belong to the World Heritage, above
all Cecilienhof Palace. In contrast to Sanssouci, the New Garden is
used by Potsdamers for local recreation. In addition to a number of
official and unofficial sunbathing areas, there is a (nude) bathing
area that is very popular with Potsdam residents - to the annoyance
of the preservationists - which has so far successfully resisted all
attempts to ban it. Open: 8 a.m. to dusk all year round. Price: free
entry, donation possible.
Cecilienhof, Cecilienhof Palace, Im
Neuen Garten 11, 14469 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 9694-200, fax: +49 331
9694-107, e-mail: info@spsg.de. The second most famous palace after
Sanssouci is Cecilienhof Palace, where the Potsdam Conference was
held in 1945. A memorial was dedicated to the event. You can also
visit the apartments of the last German and Prussian crown prince
couple, for whom the palace was built in 1914-1917. The castle is
kept in the English country style. Open: Tue-Sun 10-17 (Nov-Dec
2017), Tue-Sun 10-16:30 (Jan-Mar 2018), Tue-Sun 10-17:30 (Apr-Oct
2018). Price: Site of the Potsdam Conference regular: €8, reduced:
€6, private rooms of the crown prince couple regular: €6, reduced
€5, combined ticket Cecilienhof & Marble Palace regular: €10,
reduced: 7 ,- €, Sanssouci+ (all castles on one day) regular: 19,-
€, reduced: 14,- €, photo permit day ticket (valid for all castles):
3,- €. Accepted payment methods: Master, Visa.
Marble Palace,
Marble Palace, Im Neuen Garten 10, 14469 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331
9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail: info@spsg.de. The Marble
Palace built by Friedrich Wilhelm II between 1787 and 1793 is
located close to the shore of the Holy See. The architects Carl von
Gontard and, from 1790, the builder of the Brandenburg Gate in
Berlin, Carl Gotthard Langhans, created a palace building in the
style of early classicism. Open: Sat-Sun 10-16 (Jan-Mar 2018),
Sat-Sun 10-17:30 (April), Tue-Sun 10-17:30 (May-Oct 2018). Price:
regular: €6, reduced: €5, combined ticket Cecilienhof & Marble
Palace regular: €10, reduced: €7, Sanssouci+ (all palaces on one
day) regular: €19, reduced : €14, photo permit day ticket (valid for
all castles): €3. Accepted payment methods: Master, Visa.
other sights in the New Garden
Other sights in the New Garden
include the Gothic Library wikipediacommons, which King Friedrich
Wilhelm II used as his personal library, and on the southern side of
the Holy Lake. The building cannot be entered, but the basement can
be seen through the window fronts. Behind Cecilienhof Palace near
Jungfernsee is the so-called shell grotto wikipediacommons. It was
also commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II and served as a place for
tea parties. Today, the Society for the Promotion of the Shell
Grotto in the New Garden takes care of the upkeep and maintenance of
the structure. Finally, the pyramid-shaped ice cellar of Friedrich
Wilhelm II is worth mentioning. This is located to the north along
the visual axis of the Marble Palace and was used to keep food
fresh. In winter, ice was taken from the nearby Heiligensee and
stored on the lowest floor of the basement, which went about five
meters into the ground. Today you can only visit it from the
outside. A trip to this atypical attraction is still worthwhile.
To the west of the New Garden is the 76m high Pfingstberg with the
Belvedere Palace. You can easily reach it on foot from the New Garden or
from Alexandrowka. During the GDR era, the Pfingstberg was a restricted
area, and members of the Red Army lived in the adjacent residential area
on the banks of the Jungfernsee. For many long-established Potsdamers,
the accessibility of the Pfingstberg is still a symbol of the newly won
freedoms. This is how the public outrage is to be understood when
Mathias Döpfner, top manager at Axel Springer Verlag, closed off the
Villa Henckel, which he had bought on the Pfingstberg, from the public
with a fence. Only after lengthy negotiations with the city
administration was it possible to find a compromise that provided for at
least partial accessibility of the park belonging to the villa.
Belvedere on the Pfingstberg, Belvedere Pfingstberg, Pfingstberg, 14469
Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail:
info@spsg.de . The Belvedere on the Pfingstberg is a lookout palace that
was completed in 1862/63. The initiator was Friedrich Wilhelm IV, who
brought the architectural ideas back with him from his trip to Rome in
1828. However, it was only after Friedrich Wilhelm's death that his
brother Wilhelm I could complete the building on a smaller scale. Before
the Second World War, Belvedere was a popular destination. Due to the
close proximity to the border, however, the castle was closed in the
1950s and fell into disrepair. Only after the turn of 1990 did efforts
begin to preserve the building. The renovation of the building was
completed in 2005. From the towers of the Belvedere you have a beautiful
panoramic view from a height of 103m. On a clear day, the silhouette of
the city can be seen above the Grunewald. In the summer months, a
variety of cultural events take place in front of the romantic backdrop
of the Belvedere. Open: Sat-Sun 10-16 (Nov 2017), Sat-Sun 10-16 (Mar
2018), daily 10-18 (Apr-Oct 2018). Price: regular: €4.50, reduced:
€3.50, children 6-16 years: €2, children 0-5 years: free admission,
family ticket (2 adults + 3 children up to 17 years): 12, - €, combined
ticket Cecilienhof Palace regular: €10, reduced: €7, combined ticket
Museum Alexandrowka regular: €6, reduced €5, holders of the combined
ticket Sanssouci+ receive the reduced price. Accepted payment methods:
Master, Visa.
The Russian colony Alexandrowka consists of several wooden houses
with surrounding farm gardens, which were built in the Russian style in
1826 and 1827 at the request of the Prussian king, Friedrich Wilhelm
III. The complex was built in memory of the late Russian Tsar Alexander
I and served as the home of the Russian singers of the 1st Prussian
Guards Regiment. The extensive farm gardens with orchards around each
house were designed by Peter Joseph Lenné and served both to supply the
settlers and to promote the new agricultural policy. In 1999 UNESCO
included Alexandrovka in the world heritage, which is now owned by the
city administration. Most of the 13 colony houses are normally inhabited
today. At number 2 there is the Alexandrovka Museum, in the house in the
middle of the Way of the Cross (no. 1) there is a restaurant, the
Russian Tea House. A little north of the colony is the Kapellenberg, on
which the Alexander Newski Memorial Church designed by Friedrich von
Schinkel was built especially for the colonists. A template from the
Desjatin Church in Kiev, which no longer exists, served as the basis for
the church building. You can easily reach Alexandrowka with tram lines
92 or 96, Puschkinallee stop.
Museum Alexandrowka, Museum
Alexandrowka, Russian Colony 2, 14469 Potsdam (approximately in the
middle of the northwestern Way of the Cross through the colony). Phone:
+49 331 8170203, email: info@alexandrowka.de . The Alexandrowka Museum
was opened in 2005 and is located in one of the historic settlement
houses. The building from 1826 was lovingly restored in 2001. The museum
shows a permanent exhibition on the history of the Russian colony in six
rooms. In addition to historical exhibits, two 30-minute films can be
viewed. In the garden, which has been restored according to the
historical model, there is a small café with 40 seats. Price: regular:
€3.50, reduced: €3, children under 14 accompanied by their parents have
free admission; Groups are requested to register in advance.
Park Sacrow is the smallest and somewhat enchanted world heritage
park in Potsdam. Its location on the north shore of the Jungfernsee
makes it difficult to reach overland from Potsdam, so it attracts by far
the fewest visitors. This extraordinarily attractive location was also
the reason why King Friedrich Wilhelm IV acquired Sacrow in 1840
immediately after his accession to the throne. He commissioned the
garden artist Peter Joseph Lenné to landscape the area. The park is open
year-round from 8 a.m. to dusk. The easiest (and most beautiful) way to
reach it is with the Potsdam water taxi.
In 1844, the king had
the Heilandskirche (Church of the Redeemer), which can be seen from afar
across the water, built in 1844 on the headland jutting out into the
Jungfernsee in Italian style with a free-standing campanile (bell
tower).
Sacrow Palace, Sacrow Palace, Krampnitzer Strasse 33, 14469
Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 9694-200, fax: +49 331 9694-107, e-mail:
info@spsg.de. Sacrow Castle was built in 1773 by the Swedish Lieutenant
General Johann Ludwig von Hordt and integrated into the later created
Sacrow Royal Garden. The building, constructed strictly in the baroque
style, has a greenhouse on the south gable as a special feature. The
property changed hands several times, among others the poet Friedrich de
la Motte Fouqué spent a few years of his youth here and was inspired to
write his Undine. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy probably composed parts of
his string quartet in A minor here. After the construction of the Church
of the Redeemer, the pastor's official residence was also set up in the
castle. Open: only open for special exhibitions.
Jagdschloss Stern,
Jagdschloss Stern, Jagdhausstraße 32, 14480 Potsdam (tram 96 to H
Gaussstraße, from there 5 minutes walk). Tel.: +49 331 9694-200, fax:
+49 331 9694-107, e-mail: info@spsg.de. The Stern hunting lodge was
built between 1730 and 1732 under Friedrich Wilhelm I in the style of a
simple Dutch town house. Although it was the only palace built by the
soldier king in Potsdam, it served as a model for the later construction
of the Dutch Quarter. The building is almost completely preserved in its
original state, including the wood paneling and interior fittings. The
castle grounds include other outbuildings, such as the castellan house
or the stables. The building, which was only designed for hunting stays,
was at the center of an extensive area that had been developed for par
force hunts since 1726 with the installation of a star-shaped aisle
system. Today it stands on the edge of the most populous part of the
city, Am Stern, which is dominated by GDR prefab architecture. The A115
runs just a few meters behind the world heritage site. Open: only open
for special events.
The district known today as the northern inner city corresponds to
historic Potsdam. In the south-east it includes the area between the
Neustadt Bay and the Humboldt Bridge along the Havel and is roughly
bordered in the north-west by Kurfürstenstrasse, Hegelallee and
Schopenhauerstrasse. The oldest part, already inhabited in the Middle
Ages, is on the Havel, opposite the Friendship Island, the section north
of Charlottenstraße was built later as a planned baroque city expansion.
The Sanssouci World Heritage Park is directly to the west and the New
Garden to the north. The northern city center is inevitably crossed by
many tourists, but itself offers a whole range of sights, museums and an
attractive shopping area. It is highly recommended to explore the
historic city center on foot. On the one hand, access by car is neither
easy nor sensible due to the traffic routing and the targeted shortage
of parking spaces, but you will also have little fun on a bicycle on the
historical cobblestones that have been laid many times.
friendship island
Anyone who crosses the Long Bridge from the main
train station is about halfway to the entrance to Friendship Island,
which is completely occupied by a beautifully designed park. In the
Middle Ages (at that time still under the name Communication) it served
to secure the river crossing and was equipped with defense towers. Since
the 19th century it has increasingly developed into a destination for
excursions, and from 1937 to 1940 Karl Foerster laid out a teaching
garden there. Badly damaged in World War II, the gardens were expanded
in the 1950s and then again in the 1970s. The last modernization took
place in 2001 in the course of the Federal Horticultural Show. The park
is roughly divided into three parts: directly at the Long Bridge there
is a sunbathing area, which is mainly used by young people. Behind it
and surrounded by its own fence is the botanical garden, which also
includes an art house and the island café. The northern part of the
island is home to a large playground with a water playground that was
completely renovated in 2018, a pedal boat rental and a panorama point
with a view of the Humboldt Bridge and the Tiefer See. The only other
access is directly at the playground, the island bridge leading to the
old town. In addition to the committed island gardener Thoralf Götsch,
the association "Freunde der Hoffnungsinsel e.V." affectionately for the
care and preservation. Especially in summer there are always festivals
and cultural programs on the island. There are many sculptures and works
of art on the island, by artists from the GDR as well as from the period
after 1990.
Friendship Island, Long Bridge, 14467 Potsdam. Open:
Mon-Sun, 7am to dusk. Price: free of charge (festivals may cost
admission).
Exhibition Pavilion Freundsinsel (Pavilion),
Freundsinsel, 14467 Potsdam (in the Botanical Gardens on Freundsinsel).
Phone: +49331279753980. Open: April-September Wed-Sun 1pm-6pm;
October-March Wed-Sun 1pm-5pm. Price: free.
The Old Market is the original center of the city. There, too, the
bombing of 1945 led to extensive destruction of the historic urban
space. The Hohenzollern city palace that originally stood there, as well
as most of the surrounding building ensembles, were severely damaged. In
the GDR era, only the Nikolaikirche, the old town hall and the
associated Knobelsdorffhaus and the obelisk standing in the middle of
the square were restored. All other remains of buildings on the square
were demolished. In the 1970s, teaching buildings (later used for the
Potsdam University of Applied Sciences) and residential buildings
("Staudenhof") were built in the prefab style. The foundation stone for
the new location of the Hans Otto Theater was laid in 1989, but the
building was never completed. It was demolished as early as 1991, and as
a result the plaza was gradually re-approached to the design before the
Second World War. First of all, the new Brandenburg state parliament
with a historicist facade was built on the site of the old city palace.
For many Potsdamers themselves, the Alter Markt is a place that is
little used in everyday life, with a rather low quality of stay, lined
with sights. It is currently mainly visited by tourists, Potsdamers
cross the rather empty square, especially on the route between the main
station and the shopping center. With the demolition of the old
technical college building on Alter Markt in 2018 and the planned
construction of a residential and shopping district with partially
reconstructed facades by 2022, this may change.
The most
important sacred building is the St. Nikolaikirche on the old market. In
1837 work began on the church under the direction of master builder
Friedrich Ludwig Persius. According to Schinkel's original plans, the
tambour cupola was not put on until 1843. The inauguration of the church
in its final architecture, which shaped the cityscape, took place on
March 24, 1850. Even the dimensions of the building show that the
Nikolaikirche is a remarkable architectural monument from a structural
point of view. The total height up to the cross is 77 m. The main
cornice of the square substructure is 27 m high. The drum, surrounded by
28 columns, is 22.5 m high. The dome itself has a diameter of 24 m and a
height of 13 m and carries a lantern with a cross that is 14.5 m high.
It is possible to climb the dome ring. For 5€ (2019) you can screw your
way up the narrow spiral staircase and enjoy a beautiful view over the
city. On cold days you should not forget a jacket and hat, it pulls.
On the south side of the square, on a piece of land facing the
Havel, the Palais Barberini was rebuilt between 2014 and 2016, a
bourgeois villa with a classical facade. Destroyed in World War II, it
was a fallow area for a long time and its reconstruction was
controversial for a long time. This is now in the restored palace
Museum Barberini, Alter Markt (Humboldtstr. 5–6), 14467 Potsdam
wikipediacommonsfacebookinstagramtwitteryoutube. housed, which shows
special exhibitions, currently "modern classics" and art from the GDR
era from the collection of the software entrepreneur Hasso Plattner.
Feature: wheelchair accessible. Open: Wed to Mon 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thu
to 9 p.m., Tue closed. Price: 16 euros, reduced 10.
The Potsdam
Film Museum is the oldest film museum in Germany and is located in the
historic royal stables of the former city palace. With its permanent
exhibition "Babelsberg - Faces of a Film City" it offers an insight into
the history of the legendary Babelsberg film studios. Over 700 original
film props from Ufa, DEFA and today's studios can be rediscovered. In
addition, there are attractive special and family exhibitions on the
wide world of film, cinema with the highlights of international film art
and silent films, accompanied by the Welte cinema organ. The collections
of the Babelsberg film studios house over a million photos, film
equipment, costumes and estates of well-known stars. These treasures can
be visited after registration. Opening times: Museum: daily 10 am - 6
pm, cinema: Mon-Thurs, Sun 6 pm, 8 pm, Fri, Sat 6 pm, 8 pm, 10 pm,
children's cinema: Wed, Sat, Sun 4 pm, from January 2010 (museum) /
February 2010 (cinema), closed on Mondays, admission: museum: €3.50 to
€6.00 / reduced: €2.50 to €4.00, plus €1 with guided tour, family
ticket: €10 to €12, cinema: 5th €/ €4 reduced, Mon - cinema day: €3,
children's cinema: €2.50
The Extavium is also within walking
distance from Alter Markt. There children can try out many physical
experiments themselves (formerly Exploratorium) Extavium. Am Kanal 57,
14467 Potsdam, Tel. 0331 60127959 Opening hours: Tue-Fri 8.30 a.m.-6
p.m., Sat+Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (during the school holidays Tue-Fri only
from 10 a.m.) Admission: €6.40 / children 4, €80 / family ticket for 2
adults and max. 3 children €20
At Luisenplatz in Potsdam is the small Brandenburg Gate, built in 1770 after the Seven Years' War. From here, Brandenburger Straße stretches east to the Peter and Paul Church, in the vicinity of the gate you will find numerous typical old town houses, there are cafés and restaurants, here you will also find a tourist information office. There is an underground car park under Luisenplatz, and city tours for buses start on the north side of the square.
In the heart of Potsdam lies the Dutch Quarter, which was built in the 18th century under the direction of the Dutch master builder Johann Boumann to attract Dutch craftsmen to Potsdam. It is considered the largest contiguous building ensemble and cultural monument in the Dutch style outside of the Netherlands in Europe.
If you cross the Long Bridge from the main train station, you will
come across a 17-story high-rise building from the GDR era, today's
Hotel Mercure. Formerly a much-vaunted Interhotel with a legendary café
and a unique view from the top floor, an international hotel chain
continues to operate today. The café is now located far less
spectacularly in the lobby, but there have been considerations for a few
years to set up a restaurant on the top floor, this time as a modern
rooftop bar. Right next to the hotel is the landing stage for the White
Fleet and the pleasure garden with the Neptune Basin, which has been
partially restored. Between Lustgarten and Breite Strasse is the
fairground, where fairs and similar events take place.
Lustgarten
(Potsdam), Breite Strasse, 14467 Potsdam. Price: free.
Neptune
Fountain (Neptunbassin). Price: free.
If you follow the course of the Breite Straße over the Lange Brücke
from the train station, you will reach an area at the Yorckstraße
junction that is probably like no other for the sometimes very heated
debates about urban development and dealing with the historical heritage
of the city, from the imperial era to the GDR , stands. At the time of
the Emperor, the Plantage park, the Langer Stall cavalry barracks and
the monumental Garrison Church military church along the historic city
canal formed an ensemble that is exemplary for the (self-)image of
Imperial Prussia. During the Second World War, the area was badly hit by
the bombing on April 14, 1945. From the barn only the short building
front in the direction of Breite Straße remained, the historic city
canal was filled with war debris in 1945. The garrison church, also
badly damaged, initially remained standing until the GDR government
ordered it to be blown up and demolished in 1968. As early as 1971, in
addition to a smaller and newly designed plantation, a modern GDR
building for its time, the computer center, with an adjoining computer
hall and parking lot, was built on the site. Shortly after
reunification, debates erupted about how to deal with the area, which
continue to this day and are very heated. In a somewhat abbreviated
form, there is a reconstruction foundation based on the model of the
Dresden Frauenkirche, which would like to reconstruct the garrison
church and its surroundings in the condition of the imperial era.
Opposite you is a colorful coalition that is just as uncomfortable with
the reconstruction of imperial symbols of power as with the rough
treatment of the architectural legacy of the GDR and an urban
development that has brought Potsdam the highest rents in all of East
Germany. The dispute is being dealt with in a very personal way, and
politics and administration are largely overwhelmed by the conflict. The
tower of the garrison church is currently being rebuilt, while the data
center, which has been converted into an art and creative center, is
still guaranteed to exist until 2023.
Plantage (Glockenplatz),
Die Plantage, Dortustrasse, 14467 Potsdam wikipedia. The plantation is a
park in a historic location, without currently having too much appeal.
The glockenspiel from the garrison church has been set up on the site
for several years, playing the melody "Praise the Lord" every full hour
and the song "Üb immer Loyalty and Integrity" every half hour. In
2019/20, the plantation is to be expanded and redesigned by demolishing
the neighboring computer hall and parking lot.
Garrison Church,
Breite Strasse 7, 14467 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 20 11 830. The tower of
the garrison church is currently being reconstructed. Right next to the
construction site is the Nail Cross Chapel with a small information
center of the Garrison Church Foundation for the reconstruction project.
Occasionally church services and events promoting the reconstruction
take place there. The opponents of a re-establishment run a blog
(https://ohnegarnisonkirche.wordpress.com/) in which they publish their
arguments and event dates against the project. Open: Tue-Sun 11am-5pm.
Price: free.
Langer Stall, Breite Strasse, 14467 Potsdam. Only the
portal from 1781, which was restored in 1983/84, remains from the
burned-down Long Stable. Residential development is to be built on the
remaining area of the former Long Stable in the coming years.
Mosaic
at the data center (“Man conquers the cosmos”), Dortustraße 46, 14467
Potsdam. The mosaic “Man conquers the cosmos” created by Fritz Eisel
stretches along the facade to Breite Straße and Dortustraße. It shows
the achievements of modern technology at the beginning of the 1970s,
such as a cosmonaut or early computers, and is an example of public GDR
art in buildings that is well worth seeing. Even if there is no question
that it will be preserved in the event of demolition, it is still
completely open whether and where the mosaic will be on display in the
future.
The Nauen suburb is located directly adjacent to the New Garden, halfway to the Pfingstberg. In the Leistikowstr. 1 is the 29 Memorial and meeting place former KGB prison Potsdam wikipediacommons. The building was occupied by the Soviet occupying forces in August 1945 and converted into a counterintelligence prison. Today it is intended to point out the oppressive reality of current regimes of violence. Opening times: May - October, Sat and Sun 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission free.
In the northeast of Potsdam city center, on the border with the
Kladow district of the Berlin district of Spandau, are the almost 2 km
long Groß Glieniecker See and the 2.8 km long Sacrower See.
The
northern Groß Glienicker See is almost completely rebuilt. On the west
side there is a continuous riverside path on the former patrol path of
the GDR border troops. There are two bathing areas in the north-east and
south-east, otherwise the east bank is not accessible. The east side was
separated from Groß Glienicke after the end of the war and the
"Wochenend West" settlement has belonged to Spandau ever since.
The Glienicke Bridge connects Potsdam in Brandenburg with the
city-state of Berlin. In GDR times, the Glienicker Bridge was not a
normal border crossing. Cold War spies and agents were exchanged here.
Due to its remoteness, the border crossing point on the bridge was used
for spectacular exchanges between international agents from East and
West on three days in 1962, 1985 and 1986.
If you want to know
more about the history and stories of the Glienicke Bridge, you can do
so in the Museum Villa Schöningen. The villa was converted into a museum
by private hands (Matthias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer AG and a
partner) and inaugurated on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the
Berlin Wall in 2009. Opening hours: Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 6
p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission: €9, reduced €7,
children under 18 free.
Glienicke Castle is already on the Berlin
side, in the immediate vicinity of the Glienicke Bridge. It was the
summer palace of Prince Carl of Prussia. Opening times Apr. - Oct.: Tue
- Sun 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Nov. - March only with guided tour Sat. + Sun.
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission: €5, concessions: €4.
The hunting
lodge with the hunting lodge park is located south of Lake Glienicke.
The south-east bordering district of Klein Glienicke in turn belongs to
Potsdam.
The Telegrafenberg is a 94 meter high elevation in the southwest of
Potsdam, which belongs to the Saarmund end moraine arch. Several
observatories were built on the mountain in the 19th century, today the
Albert Einstein Science Park is located there. An outside inspection of
the tower is possible at any time and highly recommended. Opening times:
Mon-Sun 08:00-19:00. Admission free. Guests must register briefly at the
entrance.
The Einstein Tower is an observatory built between 1919 and
1922 in the "Albert Einstein Science Park" on the Telegrafenberg in
Potsdam, a building by the architect Erich Mendelsohn that was
revolutionary for the time it was built. It was named after the 1921
Nobel Prize winner in Physics. Here the validity of Einstein's theory of
relativity should be confirmed experimentally. The building is a
historical monument. The tower stands on the premises of the
Astrophysical Institute in Potsdam. Guided tours with lectures are only
carried out after registration with the Urania Potsdam association and
are limited to a few visitors per tour.
The Great Refractor (known
from the TV intro of the ZDF science program with Harald Lesch) is also
on the Telegrafenberg. The Potsdam refractor, inaugurated in 1899, is
the fourth largest refractor telescope in the world and is an important
witness to the fine-mechanical optical production of early astrophysical
research at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Tropical House Biosphere Potsdam shows more than 20,000 plants
from 350 different species. There are also free-flying birds and
butterflies in the hall. Georg-Hermann-Allee 89, 14469 Potsdam. Opening
times: Mon - Fri: 9am - 6pm (last admission 4:30pm); Sat, Sun and public
holidays: 10am-7pm (last admission 5:30pm). Admission: Normal rate:
€11.50 Reduced: €9.80 Children (5-13 years): €7.80, infants (3-4 years):
€4.50, family ticket (2 adults with 3 children): 33 €.50;
The
Volkspark Potsdam (also called Buga Park), also in the north of Potsdam,
was expanded to 65 hectares as part of the Federal Horticultural Show in
2001 and expanded with many horticultural attractions. There is a
climbing playground and a disc golf course. Main entrance
Georg-Hermann-Allee 101, 14469 Potsdam. Opening times: daily from 5 a.m.
to 11 p.m. Opening times may vary for special events. Admission: There
is a charge for Buga Park / summer rate from March 1st to November 30th:
€1 / reduced: 50 cents. Winter tariff from Dec. 1 - Feb. 28 generally:
50 cents.
water sports
Potsdam is surrounded by water on all sides. In
addition to the Havel, the Nuthe, the Sacrow-Paretzer Canal and a whole
series of lakes (including Griebnitzsee, Fahrländer See, Wannsee)
characterize the landscape and lifestyle in Potsdam. Accordingly, the
city offers numerous activities, especially in summer, on and in the
water.
friendship island
Although the Friendship Island does
not offer a bathing area, it does have a nice water playground for
children and pedal boat and canoe rentals on the Old Ride.
Friendship Island pedal boat rental (Moisl boat rental), Long Bridge,
14473 Potsdam (on the banks of the Old Cruise, east of the island
bridge). Mobile: +491520-1688883, email: info@bootsvermietung-moisl.de.
Open: Mon-Sun 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. (only high season when the weather is
nice). Price: from €10/hour
Regular events
Christmas markets
in Advent
Blue lights in Potsdam city center.
Romantic Christmas
village on the Krongut Bornstedt.
Dutch Sinterklaas Festival in the
Dutch Quarter.
Bohemian Christmas market on Weberplatz Babelsberg.
Advent garden in the Alexandrowka.
Christmas market in Belvedere
Palace.
Jarmarka – Russian Christmas market
Kieznikolausmarkt in
Potsdam-West
Advent magic on the island of Hermannswerder
In the street
Potsdam is surrounded by the A 10 and A 115
autobahns with connections to the A 9 or A 2. You can also use the
Berlin signs to orient yourself.
The following federal roads lead
through or to Potsdam:
B 1 Berlin-Wannsee - Potsdam - Brandenburg an
der Havel
B 2 Berlin-Spandau – Potsdam – Lutherstadt Wittenberg
B
273 Oranienburg - Nauen - Potsdam
Due to the extensive commuter
traffic, a sometimes cumbersome route and frequent construction sites,
there can be considerable traffic jams in the city area on weekdays
during rush hour. Especially on the major feeder roads, i.e. the B1
(west via Werder (Havel) to the A10 or east via Wannsee to the A115),
the B2 (south via Michendorf to the A10 or north via Groß Glienicke to
Berlin-Spandau), the B273 ( north-west via Marquardt to the A10) and the
L40 (south-east via Babelsberg to the A115) waiting times and slow
traffic can then be expected.
By plane
Potsdam's nearest
airport is Berlin Brandenburg Airport (IATA: BER). From Potsdam you can
drive to the airport, which is 40 kilometers away, via the A10 motorway
(Berliner Ring). Schönefeld can be reached by train without having to
change trains on the RB21/22 line or from Potsdam-Rehbrücke station or
from the nearby Berlin-Wannsee station on the RE7 line.
By train
Potsdam has a total of nine train stations, so that it is generally
possible to travel by train. However, Potsdam has largely been excluded
from long-distance traffic since 2005. Currently, only the IC 2431/2432
between Emden and Cottbus (with intermediate stops in Hanover and
Bremen) stops once a day at Potsdam Central Station. In addition,
Potsdam can be reached at night at around 0:45 with the ICE948 from
Berlin to Cologne. Traveling by long-distance train connections
therefore almost necessarily requires a change at Berlin Central
Station.
Potsdam is often connected to the surrounding area,
especially Berlin, via regional train connections, which stop at a total
of six Potsdam train stations. Certainly the most important line, and
one that is heavily used by commuters, is the Regionalexpress 1 (RE1),
which connects Potsdam with Brandenburg an der Havel and Magdeburg or
with Berlin and Frankfurt/Oder. With four stops in the city area
(Griebnitzsee, Hauptbahnhof, Charlottenhof and Park Sanssouci), the line
is also suitable for inner-city transportation. The RE1 runs every hour
on weekdays between approximately 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. The regional train
lines RB21 and RB22, which also connect Potsdam to Berlin (with a stop
in Griebnitzsee) and to Schönefeld Airport without changing trains, are
also important for arrival. The Regional Express 7 (RE7), which connects
the south of Potsdam (Rehbrücke and Medienstadt Babelsberg train
stations) coming from Dessau with Berlin, is at best suitable for
arrivals from central Germany. The regional train lines RB20 and RB23,
which also stop in the city area, connect Potsdam with nearby Michendorf
or Oranienburg and are particularly interesting for commuters or trips
to the surrounding area. The Pirschheide, Golm and Marquardt stations
also serve stops that can be used for inner-city travel.
The
Berlin S-Bahn line S7 forms an essential backbone for the connection to
Berlin. This leads from Potsdam via the east-west route through Berlin
to Ahrensfelde. Due to the almost continuous 10-minute intervals, it is
often the fastest connection between Potsdam and Berlin, despite the
slightly longer journey time than the parallel regional trains. Within
the city, the S7 stops in Griebnitzsee, in Babelsberg and ends at
Potsdam Central Station. The S7 runs between Potsdam and Berlin on
weekdays between around 3 a.m. and 1 a.m., on weekends almost
continuously with a break of only around an hour at 3 a.m.
Berlin-Wannsee, where several S-Bahn and regional train lines intersect,
is also an important transfer station for regional transport when
traveling to and from Potsdam. In general, a Berlin ABC ticket from the
VBB is required for the journey from the center of Berlin to Potsdam,
which currently costs €3.80 (as of April 6, 2021). For the journey, it
should generally be noted that the trains can get very crowded during
normal commuter traffic times. This applies in particular to the RE1,
but also to the S7 and the RB21.
By boat
A journey to Potsdam
by ship is generally possible via the Havel. However, there is no
regular scheduled service between Berlin (Spree) and Potsdam (Havel).
However, during the warm months, excursion steamers run regularly to the
center of Potsdam from both Berlin's Wannsee and Spandau.
If you
arrive with your own boat, you will find several paid berths with
overnight accommodation. The Marina am Tiefen See is located directly on
Schiffbauergasse, and the Potsdamer Seesportclub e.V. has guest berths
available on the opposite side of the Havel in Babelsberg Park. Further
down the Havel, the Neustädter Havelbucht marina and the Potsdam marina
are located close to the city center opposite the Hermannswerder
peninsula. Finally, the boat center at Krampnitzsee, near the northern
suburb of Neu Fahrland, offers berths just outside the city.
Day
visitors who arrive by water with their own vehicle will find public
sports boat berths very centrally located on the Altefahrt or near the
Glienicke Bridge in the fashionable Berlin suburb. These can be used
free of charge between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
pedestrian traffic
Potsdam is generally quite pedestrian-friendly,
practically all parts of the city can be safely reached and explored on
foot. There are numerous (city) hiking trails in and around Potsdam. In
addition, the European long-distance hiking trails E10 and E11 cross in
Potsdam.
Above all, the historic city center around Brandenburger
Strasse and the Dutch quarter should be explored on foot. Many shops
invite you to stroll around, and there are also one or two extensive
backyards to discover around Brandenburger Straße.
The Havel and
the many lakes offer space for very nice long walks in the countryside.
You can walk from the Long Bridge (starting point at the White Fleet)
along the Havel almost continuously along the water to the Pirschheide
train station. We also recommend the Hermannswerder peninsula, which
invites you to take a leisurely tour around it (best to reach by ferry
from Kievitt).
Unfortunately, the Griebnitzsee is a negative
exception. Since a good dozen villa residents have persistently resisted
for years the public access to their property, which they had acquired
after reunification at ridiculous prices, the lake can only be walked on
selectively from the villa district of Babelsberg.
Public
transport
Potsdam is well served by buses and trains, but it is easy
to get lost in the tariff jungle. In general, Berlin, Potsdam and parts
of Brandenburg are part of the VBB, the transport association
Berlin-Brandenburg. With most tickets you can switch to other means of
transport without hesitation. For this purpose, different zones with
different prices have been set up. However, it should be noted that
Berlin and Potsdam each have their own, albeit overlapping, 3-zone model
for the tariffs.
Potsdamer Verkehrsbetriebe (ViP) divides its
fare area into zones A, B and C. Potsdam city center is in zone A, the
outer city districts in zone B, and the surrounding area of Brandenburg
(but not Berlin!) in zone C. The fares are €2.30 for a single ticket for
Potsdam AB, €3 for Potsdam ABC, €4.70 for a day ticket for ABC, €6.30
for a day ticket for Potsdam AB, or €11.50 for a day ticket for small
groups. Status: April 2022).
For trips to and from Berlin, the
Berlin zone classification of the BVG zone applies, with the Berlin
transport company (BVG) also dividing into A, B and C. The area within
the Berlin S-Bahn ring is tariff zone A, the rest of the city of Berlin
is tariff zone B and the surrounding area of Brandenburg (including
Potsdam!) is tariff zone C. The tariffs for a single ticket Berlin BC
are €3.50, Berlin ABC 3 €.80, for the 24-hour ticket Berlin BC €9.20,
Berlin ABC €10.00, for the small group ticket Berlin BC €26.00, Berlin
ABC €26.50 (as of April 6, 2021).
In Potsdam, tickets can be
purchased directly from the machines in the buses and trams, which
unfortunately do not give any real help in choosing the right card. The
best way to find out about details and exact fares is to go to the
Potsdam main train station, visit the VBB website or the Potsdam public
transport operator Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam. When traveling by bus in the
Brandenburg area, you can pay directly to the driver. Tickets for the
S-Bahn or the regional trains to Berlin must be bought at the station
from the machines or counters, they cannot(!) be purchased on the train.
More timetables at www.regiobus-pm.de
road traffic
At
www.mobil-potsdam.de you will find up-to-date information on road
traffic, such as traffic webcams and construction sites. Traffic jams
are the norm, particularly during rush-hour traffic, due to the high
proportion of commuters, which is why, ideally, cars should be avoided
altogether for getting around in the city.
Six Park&Ride car
parks have been set up in and around the city, where you can easily
switch from your car to public transport. These are located:
at
Pirschheide train station, in the west on the B1 to Werder (Havel)
at
Rehbrücke station, in the south at the RE7 stop
on
Johannes-Kepler-Platz, in the populous suburb of Am Stern in the
southeast
at Griebnitzsee train station, on the S-Bahn line in the
east
at Babelsberg Park and Palace in Babelsberg
at
Buga-Park/Volkspark, in the north on the B2 in the direction of Spandau
Pushing back motorized private transport is the declared aim of the
traffic urban development concept. Consequently, parking space
management was gradually expanded, so that free parking spaces are
practically no longer to be found, at least in the city center. Parking
space is managed in three zones, with €2.00 per hour in zone 1 (downtown
around Brandenburger Strasse), €1.50 in zone 2 (districts close to the
city center) and €1.00 per hour in zone 3 (downtown outskirts). are. In
zones 1 and 2, so-called mobile phone parking, i.e. paying the parking
fee by SMS, is possible almost everywhere.
However, if you really
want to go into the city with your own vehicle, there are a total of 13
multi-storey car parks with around 2,500 parking spaces. Close to the
center and sights are, for example, the multi-storey car parks at the
main train station, the underground car park at the Wilhelm-Galerie, the
Karstadt multi-storey car park on the city administration premises or
the underground car park at Luisenplatz. Depending on the car park and
location, the fees are between €1.50 and €4.00 per hour.
ship
traffic
In Potsdam there is only one urban ferry line (F1) that can
be used with regular public transport tickets. It runs between the
Hermannswerder peninsula and the Kievitt in the Brandenburg suburb and
can only be used by pedestrians and cyclists.
The Potsdam water
taxi also offers scheduled ferry services for pedestrians and cyclists.
The water taxi runs on the Havel between Park Sacrow in the north and
Strandbad Templin in the south. It steers for 13 piers, mostly close to
large hotels and tourist attractions, and is priced more towards day
trippers than Potsdamers. The tariffs are graded according to the number
of stations or tariff zones traveled through (4 or 5 stations together
form a zone) and start at €4.00 for a single station or €7, €10 or €13
for driving through one, two or three zones. The first ride starts at
9:45 a.m., the last ride ends at 6:00 p.m. (01.05.2019).
In
addition, the Weiße Flotte Potsdam GmbH offers guided boat tours with a
total of eight of its own ships, from the flagship Sanssouci with 334
seats to the steamer Gustav with 55 seats. The central pier of the
Weisse Flotte is located next to the Hotel Mercure on the Long Bridge.
The various trips take place in the Wannsee, Werder (Havel) and
Sacrow-Paretzer Canal triangle, with Potsdam in the center. There is
another landing stage at the lido/Forsthaus Templin.
Finally,
there are a variety of charter offers for trips on the water. From the
saloon ship MS Marple, to house, sailing and motor boats of various
sizes that can be rented by the hour or by the day, to stand-up paddling
and pedal boat rentals on the Friendship Island.
bicycle traffic
Since the 2000s, the city has been pursuing an ambitious cycle traffic
concept (last updated in 2017), which is now noticeable through many
well-developed cycle paths. However, one cannot yet speak of a complete
network, so very well developed paths alternate with rather bumpy
strips. By German standards, however, Potsdam offers quite good
conditions for cycling.
A negative exception to this is the
historic city center (baroque city expansion and Dutch Quarter). It is
very difficult to get around by bike here. Unfortunately, the very
strict Potsdam monument protection authority prohibits the use of modern
road surfaces there. Accidents regularly occur on the historic
cobblestones, especially when it rains. Be careful!
Even in the
World Heritage Parks, cycling is only possible to a limited extent. For
reasons of monument protection, cycling is restricted to certain routes.
A crossing is possible (during the opening hours of the parks), but the
sightseeing of the sights is limited. On the other hand, tours by bike
are not a problem in urban green spaces and along the banks of the
Havel.
The cycle path network in the surrounding communities can
still be expanded overall. The administration of the state capital
Potsdam is pushing for the establishment of so-called cycle expressway
connections, but their construction often fails due to the transport
policy of the surrounding communities, which is geared towards motorized
private transport. However, if you want to do a rather leisurely bike
ride in the surrounding area anyway, the existing forest and bike paths
are sufficient.
With nextbike, a Europe-wide bike-sharing
provider is represented in Potsdam, where bicycles can be rented by the
hour or by the day. The bikes are of solid quality, sufficient for city
traffic, but only conditionally recommended for longer bike tours. There
are 30 rental stations spread across the city, most of which are in the
city center, in Babelsberg and at the university locations. The rent is
1€ per 30 minutes or 9€ for the whole day. Registration is mandatory for
use, the rental takes place via smartphone app or by telephone.
Attention: nextbike is also represented in Berlin, but there are hefty
additional fees for returning a Potsdam bike in Berlin or vice versa!
There is also a whole range of classic bike rental companies. The
bikes offered there are of good quality and also suitable for longer
tours. Prices start at around €10 for the day and go up to around €65
for a whole week. Several large rental companies can be found directly
at the main train station.
The pedestrian zone Potsdam offers nice cafes and fashion boutiques
in the historic city center. The Karstadt department store has a stained
glass dome that is well worth seeing. Brandenburger Strasse 49-52, 14467
Potsdam.
Weekly market, Am Bassin 6, 14467 Potsdam. Specialties
such as olives, feta cheese, etc., fresh fruit and vegetables are
available daily. Cheese and other dairy products are available Mon, Wed,
Thurs, Fri, snacks Mon, Tues, Fri, Sat and fresh fish Mon, Tues, Sat.
Open: Mon - Fri 07:00 - 16:00, Sat 7:00 - 13:00 00 (April to October) -
12:00 (November to March).
Stern Center Potsdam, Nuthestrasse, 14480
Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 649520. Largest and most modern shopping center
in the city. Open: Mon - Thu 10am - 8pm, Friday - 9pm, Saturday 9am -
9pm; real hypermarket Thurs - Sat until 10 p.m.
Fischerhof, Grosse
Fischerstr. 12, 14467 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 291848. The fisherman is
out fishing on the Havel every morning. Fresh or smoked fish can be
bought from midday. Open: Tue - Thu 12:00 - 16:00, Fri 11:00 - 17:00,
Sat 10:00 - 13:00.
Q-Regio-h.o.f.laden Potsdam-Zentrum,
Gutenbergstraße 83, 14467 Potsdam. Phone: +4933164751091. Local
products, fruit, vegetables, fresh food counter, game meat, gift ideas
and snacks. Open: Mon - Fri 09:00 - 18:30, Sat 08:00 - 15:00.
Cheap
SoupWorld Am Stern, Patrizierweg 92, 14480 Potsdam. Soups,
stews, curries, partly vegetarian or vegan. Gluten-free soups without
additives from all over the world prepared with seasonal, local
products. Open: Mon – Thu 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Price: 0.5 liter soup
from €5 with bread.
11-line, Charlottenstrasse 119, 14467 Potsdam.
Phone: +49 176 70241338 . Every last Monday of the month Italian course,
Tuesday polyglot meeting, Wednesday table tennis, Sunday brunch, regular
events and exhibitions. Open: daily 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. Price: pasta
€6.20.
Belmundo can be bought and eaten, Jägerstrasse 40, 14467
Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 23184822. Kumpir are cooked potatoes that are
sliced lengthwise and mashed with butter and cheese. They are available
with various fillings and sauces, and can also be topped with. They are
well suited for vegetarians and vegans. Open: Mon - Fri 10am - 7pm,
Saturday 10.30am - 5pm. Price: Kumpir €5.50 - €7.70.
Middle
Alexandrowka Haus1 Russian Restaurant and Tea Room, Russian Colony 1,
Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 200 6478. Russian cuisine, including recipes from
the Tsarist era, cranberry juice, birch juice, Russian and Ukrainian
beer, various types of Moldovan, Georgian and Crimean wine. Open: Tue to
Sun from 11:30 a.m., in Jan.-Feb. to 18:00, March-April to 20:00,
May-Oct. to 22:00, Nov.-Dec. until 9:00 p.m. Price: main courses €10.50
- €14.
GARAGE DU PONT, Berliner Strasse 88, 14467 Potsdam. Tel.: +49
331 87093272. Historic gas station on the Glienicke Bridge with French
cuisine and vintage car museum, guided tour on site on request. Open:
Tue-Sun 12.00 - 20.00. Price: Main courses €11.50 - €27.
Restaurant
for the historic mill Sanssouci, Zur Historischen Mühle 2, 14469
Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 281 493. Tortes and cakes, beautiful beer garden,
ideal end point of a visit to Sanssouci Park. Guests can park on P1,
when the parking ticket is handed in, the first hour is free and the
second and third hours are reduced by half. Open: daily 8.00 a.m. -
11.00 p.m. Price: Main courses 14€ - 25€.
The barn, Am Rehweg 22,
14476 Potsdam OT Neu Fahrland. Phone: +49 33208 22491 . Rustically
furnished inn with home-style cooking. Open: daily from 11:30 a.m. to
10:00 p.m. Price: Main courses 10€ - 16€.
To Sacrower See,
Weinmeisterweg 1, 14469 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 503855. The specialties
are game dishes, regular knight's banquets, beer garden. Open: 12.00
p.m. - 10.00 p.m., closed on Mondays from November to March. Price: Main
courses 10€ - 16€.
Anna Amalia, An der Pirschheide 41, 14471 Potsdam.
Tel.: +49 331 967 93 616. Restaurant on a campsite with a terrace
serving seasonal, regional cuisine. Open: Mon - Fri 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.,
Sat, Sun, public holidays 12 p.m. - 10 p.m. Price: Main courses from
€11.
Upscale
Teatro, Schiffbauergasse 12, 14467 Potsdam. Tel.:
+49 331 200 97291. Italian specialty restaurant right on the water with
a wonderful view of the Tiefen See in the historic chicory mill. Open:
Tuesday to Sunday from 11.30 a.m. to midnight. Price: Main courses 12€ -
30€.
Potsdamer is a mixed beer drink that consists half each of orange
lemonade or red Fassbrause and Pilsener.
Bar beer has been a
specialty in the Potsdam region for around 200 years. Falling asleep in
the 1970s, the Potsdamer Stangenbier is brewed again today, e.g. B. from
Braumanufaktur as a golden yellow, unfiltered organic full beer. The
beer is served in special tall glasses (the rod).
Brewery in the
excursion bar Forsthaus Templin, Templiner Str. 102, 14473 Potsdam.
Phone: +49 33209 217979 . Unfiltered beers based on artisanal brewing
tradition. Home cooking, vegetarian dishes. Open: Fri to Sun 11:00 a.m.
- 10:00 p.m. Price: Main courses from €9.50.
Pub brewery Meierei im
Neuen Garten, Am Neuen Garten 10, 14469 Potsdam. Phone: +49 331 7043211
. Beers are brewed and local cuisine is served in a building from the
18th century, with a beer garden right on Jungfernsee. Open: April to
October Tue - Fri 12:00 - 22:00, Sat + Sun 11:00 - 22:00; November to
March Tue - Sat 12:00 - 22:00, Sun 12:00 - 20:00. Price: dishes €6 - €13
Krongut Bornstedt, Ribbeckstrasse 7, 14469 Potsdam. Phone: +49 331 550
65 -48 . Brewery in the historical ensemble with 200 seats inside and
150 on the terrace. "Bornstedter Büffel" light and dark are brewed.
Cuisine with regional and seasonal specialties. Open: Winter: Wed - Sun
11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., hot meals 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Price: main
courses from €13.
Cafes
Buena Vida Coffee Club, Am Bassin 7,
14467 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 331 87093393. Coffee roastery and coffee bar
with outdoor seating. Open: Mon - Fri 8am - 7pm, Sat 9am - 6pm, Sun on
public holidays 10am - 6pm.
Inselcafe on the Friendship Island, 14467
Potsdam (bank to the old drive, in the botanical garden). Phone:
+493316264844-0, fax: +49(0)3316264844-10, e-mail:
info@fine-functional.de. Open: April-October 10am-8pm, November-March
11am-5pm.
Potsdam's nightlife is somewhat overwhelmed by nearby Berlin. It is
tranquil. Nevertheless, there are some good clubs and pubs. For
middle-aged people, the Dutch quarter around Mittelstrasse is certainly
interesting in the evenings. You can dance well in the Lindenpark or in
the wash house.
Casino Potsdam, Schloßstrasse 14, 14467 Potsdam.
The state capital of Potsdam operates a casino with classic 37-field
roulette, blackjack, Texas Hold'em poker and slot machines. A jacket is
compulsory for men. Open: Slots: daily from 11am to 3am, Classic game:
daily from 5:30pm to 3am. Price: entry €5.
Art and Creative Center
(computer center), Dortustraße 46, 14467 Potsdam. Phone: +49 331 58 25
498, email: post@rz-potsdam.de. The art and creative house exists as an
interim use in the data center planned for demolition. In recent years,
many artists, musicians and activists have found cheap spaces there. A
large number of exhibitions, film screenings, concerts and discussion
evenings take place regularly - it's worth taking a look at the
programme! Open: changing. Price: changing.
Cheap
1 fitter's room/temporary living, Heidereiterweg 59
(Waldstadt). Phone: +49 331 878680, fax: (0)331 8712662, email:
smihan@tnp-online.de.
2 Guesthouse Urban (Dutch Quarter). Tel.: +49
331 5854484. Price: Prices: SR from €30.
3 Youth hostel
"Siebenschlafer" Potsdam, Lotte-Pulewka-Strasse 43 (centre-east (near
the train station)). Tel.: +49 331 741125, Fax: (0331) 748 16 28. Price:
Prices: from €17.
4 Haus Katharina, Katharinastraße 23 (Stern
(residential area on the edge)). Tel.: +49 331 712993. Price: Prices: SR
from €20.
Upscale
5 Dorint Sanssouci Berlin/Potsdam,
Jägerallee 20, 14469 Potsdam. Tel.: +49 (0)331 2740, fax: +49 (0)331
2741000, e-mail: info.berlin-potsdam@dorint.com facebook. The hotel
offers 292 rooms & suites as well as a large pool area. Multiple
award-winning congress hotel. Feature: ★★★★S. Price: from €42 per person
6 Mercure Hotel, Long Bridge, 14467 Potsdam (directly at the
Lustgarten). Tel.: +49 (0)331 272-2, fax: +49 (0)331 272-233, e-mail:
info@mercure-hotel-potsdam.de wikipediacommons. Features: ★★★★, Free
Wifi, Parking, Bar, Restaurant.
Potsdam has three universities, the University of Potsdam, the
University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and the University of Film and
Television “Konrad Wolf” (HFF for short).
The Hasso Plattner
Institute for Software Technology is located near the Griebnitzsee in
Potsdam-Babelsberg.
Potsdam has had a business school on the
Pfingstberg since 2010.
Potsdam Tourismus Service, Brandenburger Straße 3 (no postal address;
postal address: Am Neuen Markt 1, 14467 Potsdam). Phone: +49 (0)331
275580, fax: +49 (0)331-2755829, e-mail: tourismus-service@potsdam.de.
Open: April to October: Mon-Fri 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat, Sun, public
holidays 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; November to March: Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 6
p.m., Sat, Sun, public holidays 9.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tourist
information in the main train station: open Mon-Fri 9.30am-8pm, Sat
9am-8pm, Sun, public holidays 9am-4pm
Panorama-b offers city tours and walking tours in German and English
in Potsdam.
Clio Berlin offers city and park tours by historian
Florian Müller-Klug in Potsdam and Potsdam-Sanssouci.
Potsdam-Rundgang City walks & sightseeing tours of Potsdam as well as
guided tours through Sanssouci Palace and Park in German, English and
Russian.
Potsdam park regulations
Since the middle of 2007, the
extensive foundation facility ordinance and thus the park regulations of
the Potsdam Gardens have been rigorously enforced. Entering the green
areas and thus picnicking, ball games, sunbathing, barbecuing, etc.) are
prohibited. Dogs must be kept on a leash. With a few exceptions, cycling
is prohibited in the gardens. Carrying (pushing) a bicycle was not
permitted until 2010. At the beginning of 2011, the ban on pushing
bicycles was lifted by a court. However, the ban on pushing bicycles can
still be found in the parking regulations. However, since 2019 it can no
longer be punished with a fine. The parking regulations and the parking
plans with the permitted cycle routes and sunbathing areas can be viewed
here.
Until June 2021, photos of the palaces and parks could only
be used privately and not published. Now self-made photographs of
outdoor facilities and interiors are free, publication on the internet
and social media is allowed. The recordings may be used for private,
scientific, editorial and commercial purposes. However, the use of
technical aids (headlights, etc.) and personnel is still not permitted
or subject to approval. Photo shoots are also subject to approval and
are subject to a fee (SPSG guidelines).
Berlin with all its attractions can be reached quickly from Potsdam
by S-Bahn and regional train, by bike, car and bus. But the area around
Potsdam is also attractive.
Caputh with the Einsteinhaus and Caputh
Castle borders directly on Potsdam and can be reached by bike and bus.
Paretz - Castle and Castle Garden are easily accessible; the summer
residence of Friedrich Wilhelm III. and his wife Luise have been open to
the public again since 2001.
Brandenburg an der Havel with its
largely restored historic city center and the very tranquil course of
the Havel through the city is very easy to reach for a day trip with the
regional train in about 30 minutes.
Day trips can be made to
Havelland (e.g. to the island and fruit town of Werder (Havel) or to the
Cistercian monastery in Lehnin) or to Fläming with its castles. Both
regions can be reached by car in less than an hour.
Neighboring
communities are Stahnsdorf, Bergholz-Rehbrücke, Michendorf, Caputh,
Werder (Havel), Ketzin, Wustermark, Dallgow-Döberitz and Berlin.
Potsdam is located southwest of Berlin, which it borders directly on,
on the middle reaches of the Havel in a forest and lake landscape. It is
characterized by the alternation of broad lowlands and moraine hills,
such as the Saarmund end moraine curve to the south. The highest
elevation in the city is the Kleiner Ravensberg at 114.2 meters. The
lowest point is the mean water level of the Havel waters at 29 m above
sea level. NHN. Around 75 percent of the urban area consists of green,
water and agricultural areas, 25 percent is built up.
There are a
total of over 20 bodies of water in Potsdam. In the urban center these
include the Holy See, the Aradosee, the Templiner See, the Tiefen See
and the Griebnitzsee. The rural outer areas include the Sacrower See,
the Lehnitzsee, the Groß Glienicker See, the Fahrlander See and the
Weißer See.
In addition to the Potsdam Havel, which connects many
of the lakes, the waters include the Sacrow-Paretzer Canal, the Teltow
Canal, the Nuthe and the Wublitz. The Potsdam Havel flows at the
Babelsberg lido at 29.4 m above sea level. NHN. Nuthe deposits used to
form parts of Friendship Island.
There are five designated nature
reserves (as of 2018) and more than 50 natural monuments in the city
area.
Potsdam is located within the Berlin agglomeration, a catchment area
of around 4.7 million inhabitants (as of 2020). It thus also belongs to
the European metropolitan region of Berlin-Brandenburg, whose external
border is identical to that of the state of Brandenburg.
The
following cities and communities border Potsdam, listed clockwise
starting in the northeast:
Berlin and Stahnsdorf, Nuthetal,
Michendorf, Schwielowsee (Geltow, Caputh, Ferch) and Werder (Havel) in
the Potsdam-Mittelmark district as well as Ketzin/Havel, Wustermark and
Dallgow-Döberitz in the Havelland district.
The city of Potsdam is divided into 32 districts, which are divided
into 86 statistical districts.
A distinction is made between the
older districts, which were formed from areas of the historic city and
from places incorporated no later than 1939 - these are the inner city,
the western and northern suburbs, Bornim, Bornstedt, Nedlitz,
Potsdam-Süd, Babelsberg as well as Drewitz, Stern and Kirchsteigfeld -,
and the municipalities incorporated after 1990, which have had their own
local councils elected by the population and a mayor since 2003 as
districts in accordance with Potsdam's main statute - these are Eiche,
Fahrland, Golm, Groß Glienicke, Grube, Marquardt, Neu Fahrland, Satzkorn
and Uetz -pairs. The new districts are mainly in the north of the city.
For the historical course of all incorporations, see the relevant
section on incorporations and spin-offs.
incorporations
The
urban area of Potsdam was still relatively small until the end of the
19th century. Apart from the inner city, only the suburbs of Teltow,
Brandenburg, Berlin, Jägerstadt and Nauen belonged to the city of
Potsdam. Due to the growth in population and development, the urban area
had to be expanded several times. This happened in several stages with
the incorporation of neighboring manors or parts thereof. As a result,
the urban area grew from 893 hectares in 1836 to 1,350 hectares in 1905.
In 1928, the park of Sanssouci with the palaces and a large part of the
island of Tornow (later: Hermannswerder) as well as six estate districts
with brewery and telegraph hill were incorporated into the city area .
After that, the city area was 3206 hectares. In 1935 Bornim, Bornstedt,
Eiche and Nedlitz were incorporated, followed in 1939 by the industrial
city of Babelsberg and other villages. In 1952, most of these
communities became independent again as part of the local government
reform of the GDR.[ In October 2003, after two new incorporation
processes as part of the state-wide district reform, the city area
reached its present size. The area of Potsdam was increased by 60% due
to the incorporations of 2003 alone, but the number of inhabitants by
only 12%.
Potsdam has a temperate climate, influenced both by the Atlantic
climate from the north and west and by the continental climate from the
east. Extreme weather such as storms, heavy hail or heavy snowfalls are
rare. The city is located in the warmest and driest region in Germany on
an annual average.
The temperature profile roughly corresponds to
the German average. Seasonal temperature fluctuations are less than in
the usual continental climate, but higher than in the more balanced
marine climate of the coastal regions. The amount of precipitation is
relatively low with an annual total of 590 mm. In Barcelona, for
example, this is also 590 mm, but in Munich it is around 1000 mm.
Potsdam has experienced a white Christmas about every fourth year since
records began. Since the beginning of the 20th century, mean annual
temperatures have fluctuated between 6.5°C and 11°C.
Climate
research has been located on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam since around
1874. The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research predicts an
increase in average temperatures and a further decrease in precipitation
for the next few decades in the Brandenburg region as part of global
warming.
The oldest documentary evidence of the name of the city are from the
years 993 Poztupimi, 1317 postamp and around 1500 Potstamp. They go back
to Slavic and describe the "settlement of a man named Potstampin". The
common meaning of the name "under the oaks" (from Slavic pod "under" and
dubimi "oak") is scientifically untenable. Other explanations (e.g. the
comparison with Sorbian Podstupim "precursor" or "outpost") are
considered questionable.
Origin and development in the Middle
Ages
Today's urban area of Potsdam was probably inhabited since the
early Bronze Age. After the migration of peoples, the Slavic tribe of
the Hevellers built a castle on the Havel opposite the confluence of the
Nuthe in the 7th century.
The first documented mention of the
place was in a deed of donation from the later Emperor Otto III. of the
Holy Roman Empire to Quedlinburg Abbey as "Poztupimi" on July 3, 993.
The importance of the place was based on the control of the Havel
crossing.
In 1157 Albert the Bear conquered the city and founded
the Mark Brandenburg. Through Albrecht, parts of the former Nordmark
came to the Holy Roman Empire as Mark Brandenburg. Potsdam was the
southeast cornerstone of the Mark until the late 12th century. A German
stone tower castle was built at the Havel crossing. In 1317 the town was
first mentioned as a castle and above all as a town under the name
Postamp. Potsdam received city rights in 1345 and remained a small
market town for the next few centuries. From 1416 until the end of the
First World War in 1918 and the associated fall of the monarchy in
Germany, Potsdam remained in the possession of the Hohenzollerns. The
devastating Thirty Years' War and two major fires devastated the city.
The absolutist period in Brandenburg began with the Electoral
Parliament in 1653, at which the Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm
restricted the power of the landed gentry. His reign was one of the most
influential in the history of Potsdam. He bought the individual
mortgaged urban areas together and decided to develop the city into his
second residence next to Berlin. With the expansion of the city palace
and the beautification of the surroundings, there was a surge in
development from 1660.
Only with the help of the Potsdam Edict of
Tolerance in 1685 could the areas be repopulated due to increasing
immigration. Above all, the persecuted Protestant Huguenots from France
fled to the protection of the Brandenburg areas. About 20,000 people
followed the offer and helped the economy to boom with their specialist
knowledge.
Under the soldier king Friedrich Wilhelm I, the city
became an important garrison location. This led to a strong increase in
population and the construction of new residential quarters in the first
and second baroque urban expansion. He also ordered the construction of
the Garrison Church, the Church of St. Nikolai and the Church of the
Holy Spirit, which from then on shaped the cityscape. In the newly
created military orphanage on Breite Strasse, children of military
personnel were cared for, taught and later trained.
His son
Frederick II ("the Great") valued the ideas of the Enlightenment and
reformed the Prussian state. He finally decided to make Potsdam a
residential city in terms of the cityscape as well and then had massive
changes made to the appearance of streets and squares. Among other
things, the old market was completely redesigned and the town houses
received new baroque facades. Frederick II also had the later Park
Sanssouci redesigned. From 1745 his summer residence, Sanssouci Palace,
was built here. The New Palace followed later. The city palace and the
pleasure garden in the city center were designed for his winter
residence, and the work of the architect Georg Wenzeslaus von
Knobelsdorff deserves special mention here. From 1793 the Royal
Playhouse was built.
In 1806 Napoleon reached the city of Potsdam
with his troops. The lasting effects of the occupation led to reforms in
the state system. After the end of the Napoleonic occupation, Friedrich
Wilhelm III. the city from 1815 to an administrative center. Numerous
government officials settled in Potsdam. In 1838, Prussia's first
railway line went into operation, the Potsdam-Berlin line.
The
increasing tensions of the Vormärz erupted in the March Revolution of
1848. The people fought on the barricades in Berlin for a liberal
constitution. In March, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV moved to the
supposedly quieter neighboring city of Potsdam. When mutinous soldiers
gathered in front of the New Palace and tried to free captured comrades,
the uprising was quickly put down by elite Prussian troops. After the
turmoil of the uncompleted revolution, the restoration of the old
balance of power was the dominant goal. Numerous ambitious construction
projects were pushed forward, including the Nikolaikirche and the
Catholic Church of St. Peter and Paul. Potsdam had had an airship port
on the Pirschheide since 1911.
In 1914, the last Prussian king
and German Emperor Wilhelm II signed the general mobilization against
the Entente powers in the New Palace. After the end of the First World
War, the era of the monarchy ended with the November Revolution and
Wilhelm II fled to the Netherlands in 1918. The city of Potsdam thus
finally lost its status as a residential city.
After the First World War in 1918, most of the Hohenzollern property
in Potsdam became state property. The time of the Weimar Republic was
characterized by numerous clashes between the political and paramilitary
forces in the state. The municipality, on the other hand, continued to
be a place supported by wealthy citizens.
At the beginning of the
Nazi era, March 21, 1933 was Potsdam Day. During the staged state act,
President Paul von Hindenburg shook hands with the new Chancellor Adolf
Hitler. This should be understood as a symbolic gesture for an alliance
of the old order with National Socialism. The constituent session of the
Reichstag took place in the Garrison Church without the Social Democrats
and Communists. The event was broadcast nationally.
Hans
Friedrichs had numerous settlements and barracks built in Potsdam.
The city center of Potsdam was severely damaged by an Allied bomb
attack on April 14, 1945 in the last phase of the Second World War. The
area between the Havel, the Alter Markt and the Bassinplatz was
particularly affected. The main train station, city palace, long stable
and garrison church burned out completely. Large parts of the north-east
suburbs near the Glienicker Bridge were similarly damaged. However, the
area around the New Market, the Dutch Quarter and the northern parts of
the old town have been largely preserved. Other buildings were damaged
in the fighting in the final days of the war, such as the Holy Spirit
Church and the Old Town Hall. On April 27, 1945, Potsdam was taken by
the Red Army.
Potsdam was the target of many bombs in Germany. To
this day, newly discovered duds are defused and the people living in the
area are evacuated on such occasions.
From July 17 to August 2, 1945, the Potsdam Conference of the
victorious powers United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Union took
place in Cecilienhof Palace, the residence of the last German Crown
Prince Wilhelm of Prussia. The conference ended with the Potsdam
Agreement, which sealed the division and occupation of Germany into four
zones.
From 1952 to 1990, Potsdam was the administrative center
of the newly founded district of Potsdam in the GDR. The socialist
government had a divided relationship with the heritage of Prussia. On
the one hand, the cultural and artistic achievements were recognized, on
the other hand, numerous buildings should be an expression of
militarism. In 1951 the Karl Liebknecht University of Education was
founded, which later became the University of Potsdam. Due to the
housing shortage, new districts such as Schlaatz, WaldstadtII and
Drewitz emerged, especially in the south of the city.
With the
construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, Potsdam lost its direct
connection to the neighboring city of (West) Berlin, while East Berlin
could only be reached via rural detours and appeared "far away". The
Wall thus interrupted urban life in Potsdam to a considerable extent.
The small Berlin enclave of Steinstücken remained isolated in
Babelsberg. The crossing at the Glienicke Bridge was used to exchange
spies during the Cold War.
During the 1960s there was a district
reception camp for western refugees in Potsdam. When immigration to the
GDR decreased, the reception center was demolished.
In 1966 the
old town hall was rebuilt and expanded and then opened as a cultural
center and opened to the public under the name Hans Marchwitza-Haus. It
housed event halls, lecture rooms, a cinema hall and a restaurant and
thus served as a meeting place for various social associations and
individuals.
With German reunification and the reestablishment of the state of
Brandenburg in 1990, Potsdam became its state capital.
In 1990,
large parts of Potsdam's cultural landscape were declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. In 1993 the city was able to celebrate its thousandth
anniversary and in 2001 hosted the Federal Garden Show under the motto
"Garden art between yesterday and tomorrow". On this occasion, the
first, approximately 300-meter-long section of the city canal, which was
filled up in the 1960s, was uncovered in Yorckstrasse. In 2004 the city
received the gold medal in the national competition Our city is
blooming.
In the years 1999, 2006 and 2021, the city-political
decisions were made to declare the center of Potsdam a redevelopment
area and to approximate the city center in floor plan and elevation to
the situation before 1945. The "reapproachment of the characteristic,
evolved historic townscape" decided in 1990 is intended, among other
things, to be realized with the reconstruction of the bell tower of the
garrison church. Work will continue until 2029 on the reconstruction of
the building carees around the Nikolaikirche on Alter Markt based on
historical models.
Population development
The city of Potsdam has remained a small
city with a small and relatively constant population since it was first
mentioned in 993 until the early modern period. Due to the devastation
and famine of the Thirty Years' War, the number of inhabitants fell to a
low of 700 in 1660. After the development as a Brandenburg residence,
the number of inhabitants increased significantly. With
industrialization in the 19th century, the population tripled to 60,000
by 1900. On April 1, 1939, Potsdam became a major city with the
incorporation of the city of Babelsberg, which has around 30,000
inhabitants, and other places. During the Second World War the number of
inhabitants fell, but in the following years it rose again.
Since
German reunification, the population of Potsdam initially fell by 13,000
to 129,000 in 1999. Since 2000, however, there has been a steady
recovery due to immigration and a comparatively high number of births.
Incorporations in 2003 put the population on a higher basis. In the
2010s, population growth accelerated again. In 2008 the 150,000th
resident was counted, in 2017 the 175,000th. According to population
forecasts, the city of Potsdam has been assuming since 2019 that the
number of inhabitants will increase to over 200,000 by 2030.
In
addition to the residents with their main residence, an additional 5,758
people with a secondary residence are registered (as of December 31,
2020). At the end of 2020, 17,452 foreigners lived in Potsdam, which
corresponds to a share of around 9.58%.
Religion
According to
the annual statistical report, in 2011 in the state capital of Potsdam,
14.5% of the residents were Protestant, 4.6% Roman Catholic and 80.8%
non-denominational, belonged to another religious community or gave no
information. At the end of 2020, 12.7% were Protestant, 4.9% were
Catholic and 82.5% belonged to another faith community or did not
provide any information.
The history of Christianity in the city
of Potsdam is characterized by the coexistence of faith communities. The
city of Potsdam initially belonged to the Christian provost Spandau of
the Brandenburg diocese founded in 949. In 1541, the Elector of
Brandenburg introduced the Reformation, which made the city a
predominantly Protestant city for centuries. The Lutheran confession was
dominant, but since 1613 the ruler and court had belonged to the
Reformed Church. From 1723 there was a French Reformed congregation,
which received the French Church in 1753.
In 1817, the two
Protestant denominations within Prussia were united (“united”) to form
the Evangelical Church in Prussia. The Lutheran congregation and the
Reformed congregation at Potsdam's Garrison Church started things off.
The head (summus episcopus) was the king of Prussia as sovereign church
regiment. After further name changes in 1846 and 1875, the regional
church called itself the Evangelical Church of the Old Prussian Union
from 1922, whose church province in Brandenburg became independent in
1947 as the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg. In 2004 this
church merged with the Evangelical Church of Silesian Upper Lusatia,
which had also emerged from an old Prussian church province, to form the
Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The
Protestant parishes in Potsdam belong to the parish of Potsdam, whose
seat (superintendent) is also located in Potsdam. Since 2010 there has
been the Potsdam district, which includes the north-western area of the
state church and is based in the state capital.
As a reaction to
the unification of the Lutheran and Reformed churches to form the United
Church, the original Lutheran Church in Prussia continued in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Prussia, which, however, was only able to
be constituted in 1841 after a long period of persecution by the United
Evangelical Church and the Prussian state. This parish belongs to the
Berlin-Brandenburg church district of the Independent Evangelical
Lutheran Church.
In addition to the regional church communities,
there are several free churches, such as the Moravian Church in Moravia.
Since Potsdam was a garrison town, there were numerous Catholic
soldiers. In 1868 the Catholic Church of St. Peter and Paul was built.
In 1821 the prince-bishop delegation for Brandenburg and Pomerania was
set up. In 1930 the diocese of Berlin was established as a suffragan
bishopric of Breslau. After the Second World War, the area of the
ecclesiastical province of Breslau was separated and thus exempted, it
was directly subordinate to the Pope. In the course of the reunification
of the two German states in 1994, the diocese of Berlin was raised to
the archdiocese of Berlin, to which the two parishes of Potsdam belong.
The Russian-Orthodox church community in Potsdam came into being
after 1716 through donations of Russian giants from Peter the Great to
Frederick William I for his favorite regiment of the "Tall Guys". In
1734, the king had the northern end of the Long Stable inaugurated as a
towerless garrison church for the 300 parishioners. It existed,
gradually merging, until 1809. With the establishment of the Russian
colony Alexandrowka in Potsdam, a Russian-Orthodox community was founded
around the Alexander Newski Memorial Church. It belongs to the Berlin
diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate and has around 1000 believers.
The proportion of Christians decreased significantly during the time
of the GDR (see: Christians and Churches in the GDR). In 2014, more than
30,000 Christians of various denominations lived in Potsdam, which
corresponds to 20 percent of the population. Of these, around 25,000
belong to the 22 Protestant parishes and around 5,000 to the two
Catholic parishes in the city. The various free church communities
together also number several thousand believers.
There are two
Jewish communities in Potsdam. One belongs to the Central Council of
Jews in Germany and has about 400 members in the 2010s. The second
community is independent of the Central Council and is called the
Community of Law-abiding Jews. Potsdam is also the seat of the liberal
Abraham Geiger College, the only rabbinical seminary in post-war Germany
to date. The Old Synagogue in Potsdam was looted during the November
pogroms of 1938. The building was finally destroyed by bombing during
World War II. Since then there has been no synagogue in the city. As
part of the redesign of Potsdamer Mitte, it was decided in 2018 to
rebuild a synagogue on Schloßstraße. In 2021, another synagogue was
opened as part of the Center for Jewish Scholarship at the University of
Potsdam.
Current numbers of Muslims, Buddhists or members of
other faiths living in Potsdam are not available in 2015. A Muslim
community has existed since 1998. Historically, Prussia has been
tolerant in religious matters. The Prussian King Frederick the Great
declared in 1740: “All religions are equal and it’s okay when the people
who profess [publicly profess] are honest people, and when Turks and
heathens come and populate the land, so We want them to build mosques
and churches.” Friedrich did not later build mosques, but his father
Friedrich Wilhelm I had already set up a room in the military orphanage
as a prayer hall for 22 Muslim “tall guys” in 1739, making it the first
mosque on German soil permit. The "Potsdam Mosque" from the 19th
century, which is only a few hundred meters away, was never a sacred
building, but has always been a profane machine house in the external
form of a mosque.
Management history
The city was headed by a consul from 1345 and a
mayor from 1450. A city council is verifiable from 1465. In the 16th and
17th centuries, the council had four to five members, including the
mayor. Later, the respective sovereign had a strong influence on the
city administration. From 1722 there was a magistrate for the old town
and the new town, headed by a town manager. In 1809 Potsdam became an
independent city with a mayor at its head and a city council as the
elected body.
During the National Socialist era, this was
dissolved and the Lord Mayor was installed by the NSDAP.
After
the end of the Second World War, the Soviet occupying power
re-established the city council in 1945 with a mayor. The Council was
determined by a National Front unit list in non-free elections.
After German reunification in 1990, Potsdam became the location of
various state and federal authorities, including Directorate III of the
General Customs Directorate, the Federal Police Headquarters and a
branch of the Federal Audit Office, as well as numerous public
corporations.
City of Potsdam
Potsdam has been an independent
city in the state of Brandenburg since 1990. The Potsdam city
administration is based in the Stadthaus on Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse. The
city of Potsdam is officially known as the state capital of Potsdam.
The mayor is elected every eight years and the city council every
five years in local elections. Mike Schubert (SPD) has been mayor of
Potsdam since November 28, 2018.
The municipal debt level in the
city was among the lowest in Germany in 2014.
See also: Results
of local elections in Potsdam
badges and flags
Blazon: "In gold, a
left-looking, black-armored, golden-diamond red eagle. The upper edge of
the shield is adorned with a curved, five-pointed red mural crown.”
Coat of arms: Potsdam's coat of arms shows a stylized variant of the
Märkisches eagle on a golden shield. The Märkisches eagle in the coat of
arms can be traced back to the 12th century: it first appeared in 1170
in the statue seal of the Ascanian Otto I, the son of Albrecht the Bear.
The oldest surviving image of the eagle as Potsdam's heraldic animal is
from 1450 and comes from a seal of the city. Since 1660, Potsdam, as a
residence city, has been allowed to show the red Mark eagle, previously
shown on a silver background, but now on a gold background. The current
color scheme is known from 1753. Historically, the current design of the
city coat of arms with the arched five-pointed mural crown goes back to
a design by Werner Nerlich, director of the University of Applied
Sciences for Advertising and Design Berlin (with a branch in Potsdam),
from 1957, although it was slightly modified after 1990 and the color
was made more concrete: Das Potsdam's coat of arms has been binding in
its current form since 1994.
The flag of the city of Potsdam is
"two-striped red and yellow with the coat of arms in the middle".
Town twinning
Due to its past, Potsdam is an international city,
which is also reflected in the variety of city partnerships. It is
always possible to discover similarities in history, architecture or
importance to the partner cities. The partnership with the then West
German capital Bonn since 1988, during the time of German division, was
already remarkable at that time. Potsdam maintains partnerships with the
following cities:
Opole (Opole), Opole Voivodeship, Poland (since
1973)
France Bobigny, Île-de-France, France (since 1974)
Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland (since 1985)
Bonn, North
Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (since 1988)
Italy Perugia, Umbria, Italy
(since 1990)
United States Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
(since 1990)
Lucerne, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland (since 2002)
France Versailles, Île-de-France, France (since 2016)
Zanzibar
(City), Zanzibar, Tanzania (since 2017)
Communal Issues
The
design of the cityscape, in particular the reconstruction of the
historic center, has been the subject of complex discussions since 1990.
After 2014 there were controversies about the future use of the
Lustgarten area and the demolition of various buildings in the city
area.
With the environmentally oriented traffic control
introduced in 2012, exceeding the limit values for nitrogen dioxide and
fine dust should be avoided.
The economic and building policy
problems of the city of Potsdam include the decreasing number of
building permits and the resulting collapse in residential construction
(status: 2018-2020), despite increasing demand for living space. In
addition, the municipal utilities have to contend with young talent
problems in certain areas.
Potsdam is the capital of the state of Brandenburg. The state
parliament of Brandenburg has its seat in the city. The state government
and the Prime Minister of Brandenburg are housed in the Brandenburg
State Chancellery and have moved into their location at
Heinrich-Mann-Allee 107. Numerous ministries are distributed throughout
the city. The Constitutional Court of the State of Brandenburg is
located at Jägerallee 9-12.
Since the re-establishment of the
state in 1990, the Brandenburg state parliament has had its seat in the
building of the former royal war school on the Brauhausberg. Since the
building no longer met the requirements of a modern parliament, the
state parliament decided to build a new building on the site of the
former city palace on Alter Markt. After the TV presenter Günther Jauch
had set an example in 2002 with the new construction of the Fortuna
portal, the city council decided in 2005 to rebuild. Since 2010, the
city palace has largely been rebuilt with the original façade by Georg
Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, which was donated by SAP founder Hasso
Plattner. In 2014, the state parliament was officially opened with the
new building, which has a modern interior design.
security
agencies
Since the end of the 17th century, Potsdam has had a
checkered history as a location for military installations. The
respective commanders were numerous: from the Prussian to the imperial
army, Reichswehr, Wehrmacht, Red Army to the NVA and now to the
Bundeswehr.
As the second residence of the Prussian kings
(besides Berlin), the city was expanded into a garrison city by the
soldier king and the soldiers were mostly billeted in town houses. At
times, soldiers made up almost half of Potsdam's residents.[60] Military
installations shaped the cityscape and the structure of the population
for a long time, so that Alexander von Humboldt described the city in
1854 as a "barren city". The Tall Guys, the Prussian Guardsmen of
above-average height, the 1st Foot Guards Regiment and the 9th Infantry
Regiment, from which many accomplices in the assassination attempt of
July 20, 1944 were recruited, became well-known.
In 1945 the Red
Army - and later the National People's Army - took over the majority of
the barracks. Until 1991, Potsdam was also the location of the 34th
Artillery Division of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. After
German reunification, an army of the previous size was no longer
necessary. The numerous barracks and military installations, most of
which are historically and architecturally significant, have since been
put to a new use.
Since 2001, the Bundeswehr Operations Command
has had its headquarters directly at the wildlife park on the outskirts
of Geltow. Around 500 General Staff officers are employed there.
Since 2013, the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social
Sciences (ZMSBw) has resided in Villa Ingenheim on the banks of the
Havel. Military history research on German history is conducted here;
the ZMSBw has around 120 employees. The Military History Museum of the
Bundeswehr in Dresden is also subordinate to the ZMSBw.
The
Federal Police Headquarters has been based in Potsdam since 2008. The
higher federal authority is directly subordinate to the Federal Ministry
of the Interior and exercises operational and technical supervision of
the Federal Police.
metrics
In 2016, Potsdam generated a gross domestic product (GDP)
of 6.67 billion euros within its city limits, placing it 53rd in the
ranking of German cities by economic output. The city thus has a 10
percent share of Brandenburg's economic output. In the same year, the
per capita GDP was 39,293 euros (Brandenburg: 26,887 euros, Germany
38,180 euros) and thus above the regional and national average. It was
60,422 euros per employed person, the number of which was approx.
110,400. Due to the proximity to Berlin, the economy is developing very
dynamically. In 2016, the city's GDP grew nominally by 3.1 percent,
compared to 4.7 percent in the previous year. Potsdam is part of the
Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region, which generates a GDP of more
than 180 billion euros.
Around 81,500 people in Potsdam had a job
subject to social insurance contributions in the same year, around 1,200
more than in the previous year. The unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in
December 2018, below the Brandenburg average of 5.9 percent. Average
disposable income and real trade tax revenue have been rising steadily
since 2000.
Over 100 young companies will be based in the state
capital in 2021. With a rate of 38.4 start-ups per 100,000 people
between 2019 and 2021, Potsdam ranks fourth among all major German
cities after Berlin, Munich and Heidelberg.
location and quality
of life
The positive development of Potsdam since 1990 can e.g. can
be attributed to the location as a culture, service and research center,
which made it possible to adapt to the requirements of a modern market
economy with higher levels of education. The business location is one of
15 regional growth centers in the state of Brandenburg and is therefore
specifically promoted. In addition, the geographic location in the
metropolitan area of Berlin is attractive for company settlements. The
connection to infrastructures such as motorways, train routes, bridges
and airports is constantly being expanded.
In the so-called
"Atlas of the Future" from 2019, the independent city of Potsdam took
92nd place out of 401 districts, municipal associations and independent
cities in Germany, making it one of the places with "certain future
prospects" and taking first place within Brandenburg. In a 2018 study by
ZDF on the quality of life in 401 German districts and urban districts,
Potsdam took fourth place.
technology and business
More than
13,000 businesses were registered in Potsdam in 2016, which corresponds
to an increase of almost 380 compared to 2015. Research-related
companies have settled in and around Potsdam due to the large number of
research institutes. The region is one of the leading biotech locations
in Germany. Potsdam is the headquarters of the international medical
technology company Christoph Miethke.
Oracle invested in a branch
in the city in 2001. In addition, one of the world's three VW design
centers was established. The Toll Collect consortium has a location in
Potsdam. In 2006, the Katjes company set up a “glass candy factory” at
the Babelsberg production site. In the 2020s, a location for the IT
industry is to be developed in Potsdam's southern inner city.
Among the largest employers in Potsdam in 2018 are u.a. the University
of Potsdam, the city of Potsdam, Stadtwerke Potsdam, AOK Nordost,
Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse, the state of Brandenburg and the
investment bank of the state of Brandenburg.
Media
The
Filmstudio Babelsberg in Babelsberg, founded in 1911, is the oldest
large film studio in the world and at the same time the largest film
studio in Europe in terms of area. However, the studio has been
majority-owned by a US real estate company since 2022.
UFA, a
subsidiary of the international media group Bertelsmann, is currently
one of the top-selling German companies in the field of TV film and TV
productions and is based in Potsdam. Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, a
film promotion company run by the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, is
also based in the city.
In Potsdam, the Potsdamer Latest News,
the Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung with the Potsdam regional section and
the regional edition of the Tagesspiegel appear as daily newspapers.
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg broadcasts from the Potsdam-Babelsberg
location. Among other things, the radio stations Antenne Brandenburg,
Radio Fritz and Radio Eins as well as the television programs
Brandenburg aktuell and zibb are produced there. In Potsdam there is
also the local television station capital.TV as well as the local radio
station Radio Potsdam and the children's station Radio Teddy.
The
events magazine has been published monthly since 1997 and contains
events and gastronomy tips. The monthly family magazine PotsKids! has
been published since 2004 and the monthly magazine friedrich since 2010.
Tourism is of great importance for Potsdam. From 1995 to 2019, the
number of visitors increased continuously.
In 2016, more than
400,000 visitors together spent more than a million overnight stays in
the city. In 2018 there were 58 hotels and guesthouses with around 5900
beds in Potsdam.
The Babelsberg Media City is home to the
Babelsberg Film Park, a theme park that introduces visitors to the world
of film with a studio tour of the site, as well as exhibitions, stunt
shows, sets and props from numerous well-known productions. The Filmpark
recorded 330,000 paying visitors in 2016. With around 330,000 visitors a
year, Sanssouci Park is the second major attraction in Potsdam.
Potsdam has also developed into a popular location for conferences,
congresses and wedding celebrations.
Associations
The IHK
Potsdam has its headquarters in Potsdam and represented a total of
77,738 member companies in western Brandenburg in 2018. The Potsdam
Chamber of Crafts represents the interests of 17,463 craft businesses
(as of 2021) in the Potsdam chamber district.
Since the 1990s, most of the existing buildings in Potsdam have been
renovated. Since 2010, the integrated guiding building concept has been
in force, according to which the city is to be given back its former,
classically shaped city center in many places through reconstruction
projects. In 2017, the reconstruction of parts of the garrison church
began. In the long term, the city canal is also to be uncovered again.
The urban development areas at Bornstedter Feld and in the
Speicherstadt are under construction (as of 2018). In the Krampnitz
district, carbon dioxide-neutral housing developments for 7,000
residents are to be built in the 2020s. In 2018 there were 20,737
residential buildings in Potsdam. The number of apartments in the city
in the same year was 90,111 (+1,581 compared to the previous year).
For the local implementation of the UN Convention on "The Rights of
the Child", the city has had the UNICEF seal of approval for a
child-friendly municipality since 2017.
Road traffic
Potsdam
is connected to the federal motorway network in the west and south by
the Berlin Ring of the A 10 with the Potsdam Autobahn triangle and in
the east by the A 115 (also known as AVUS in the Berlin city area).
Several federal highways run through the urban area, such as the B
1, B 2 and B 273. The city is on the German-Dutch Oranier Route holiday
route.
The state road L 40, which connects Potsdam with the
federal roads B 101, B 96 and B 179, opens up the southern Berlin area
via Stahnsdorf, Teltow, Mahlow, Schönefeld to Berlin (Treptow-Köpenick)
and bears the name Nuthe-Schnellstrasse in the Potsdam city area.
The density of private passenger vehicles (cars) in the city was 376
cars per 1000 inhabitants in 2014, below the Brandenburg average of 510
cars per 1000 inhabitants. A total of 82,830 motor vehicles were
registered in Potsdam in 2017 (+10,306 compared to 2010).
Bicycle
traffic
The city has been pursuing a cycle traffic concept since
2008, which is constantly being renewed. In 2017, twelve percent of all
trips in Potsdam were made by bicycle (in Berlin: 15%, in the state of
Brandenburg: 11%, in Germany as a whole: 11%). In 2017, 83% of the
Potsdam population owned their own bicycle (in Berlin: 77%, in
Brandenburg: 85%; in Germany as a whole: 77%). Within the city, 177 km
are equipped with bike lanes or cycle paths (as of 2016). There is a
parking garage for bicycles at the main train station. Scattered
throughout the city are over 30 stations with a total of more than 300
bicycles available for rental 24 hours a day.
Potsdam is
connected to a number of long-distance cycle routes, including the R1
European Cycle Route (runs from France to Russia), the Amsterdam-Berlin
long-distance cycle route, the Havel Cycle Route (runs from the source
to the mouth), the Berlin Wall Cycle Route (runs along the former Berlin
Wall). once around what was then West Berlin), the Alter Fritz cycle
path (round trip to the sights of the city) and the F1 Havelsee tour.
Public transport
In addition to the S-Bahn Berlin (line S7),
local transport in Potsdam includes various offers from Verkehrsbetriebe
Potsdam (ViP): seven tram lines, various city bus lines and a ferry line
that connects Hermannswerder with the residential areas on the
north-western bank of the Havel. In addition, there are the regional bus
lines that connect Potsdam with the surrounding area: the lines of the
Havelbus Verkehrsgesellschaft operate in the Havelland district, the
lines of the Regiobus Potsdam-Mittelmark in the Potsdam-Mittelmark
district and the lines of the Teltow-Fläming transport company in the
Teltow-Fläming district . All local transport offers can be used at
uniform tariffs in the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB).
At night, Potsdam can be reached from the Berlin S-Bahn station
Nikolassee with the night bus line N16. Within the city of Potsdam,
several night bus lines run throughout the night.
There is a
larger bus station on the south side of the main train station, where
you can switch between many city and regional bus routes as well as
between the night bus routes. The central transfer point in the tram
network is the square of unity.
Railway traffic
Several
railway lines run through the urban area. The connections between
Potsdam and Berlin are the routes most frequented by commuters in the
Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region.
The Berlin-Potsdam
Railway (Stammbahn) was the first railway line in Prussia (1838). It
created a connection between Berlin and Potsdam via Zehlendorf. In 1845
the route was continued to Magdeburg. There are five train stations and
stops on this route and the parallel S-Bahn line in Potsdam:
Griebnitzsee, Babelsberg, Potsdam Hauptbahnhof, Charlottenhof and Park
Sanssouci.
The Berlin-Blankenheim railway (Wetzlarer Bahn),
opened in 1879, touches the urban area in the east with the Potsdam
Medienstadt Babelsberg station and the Potsdam-Rehbrücke station on the
Potsdam city limits. The important Seddin marshalling yard south of
Potsdam is also on this line. Its easternmost section runs dead straight
through the Grunewald and has a connection to the Berlin Stadtbahn via
the Berlin-Charlottenburg train station. After the main line between
Berlin-Zehlendorf and Griebnitzsee was interrupted in 1945, all regional
and long-distance traffic between Berlin and Potsdam runs on the
Stadtbahn.
The Wannsee Railway was laid out in 1874 as a suburban
line, and the long-distance route of the Berlin-Blankenheim Railway runs
parallel to it on the section between Berlin-Wannsee station and today's
city limits. In 1891 the suburban tracks of the Wannseebahn were
completely separated from the long-distance tracks. Since 1902, Potsdam
has been accessible via suburban tracks of the Grunewald route with
direct suburban trains from the Berlin Stadtbahn. In 1928, electric
S-Bahn operations began on the suburban tracks.
The
Jüterbog–Nauen railway as part of the bypass went into operation in the
Potsdam area between 1902 and 1908. The line crossed the railway line to
Magdeburg at Park Sanssouci station (formerly: Wildpark). Its section
north of Golm station merged with Berlin's outer ring. After 1945, a
connecting curve was created that made direct journeys from the south to
Potsdam Stadt station (Potsdam Hauptbahnhof since 1999) possible. The
section between Potsdam and the junction with the Berlin-Blankenheimer
Eisenbahn near Seddin was upgraded to the main line, which at times even
carried transit trains from southern Germany to West Berlin.
The
Berlin outer ring with its dam through Lake Templiner was opened in
1956. Here is the (closed in 1999) upper part of the temporary
(1960-1993) Potsdam Central Station (since 1993: Potsdam Pirschheide).
Other stations on the outer ring in Potsdam are Golm station and
Marquardt station. Potsdam's connection to long-distance rail traffic
has been severely restricted since most long-distance trains have been
routed via the Hanover–Berlin high-speed line since the mid-2000s.
From the city, regional express and regional train lines run in the
following directions:
From the main station (partly also from
Charlottenhof, Park Sanssouci and Golm)
Berlin (RE 1, partly RB
21/22) – Frankfurt (Oder) (RE 1)
Brandenburg an der Havel – Magdeburg
(RE 1)
Golm - Hennigsdorf - Oranienburg (RB 20)
Golm - Wustermark
- Berlin-Spandau (RB 21)
Golm – Airport BER – Königs Wusterhausen (RB
22)
Golm / Berlin – Airport BER (RB 23)
Beelitz – Jüterbog (RB 33)
From Medienstadt Babelsberg and Rehbrücke:
Berlin – Airport BER –
Senftenberg: RE 7
Bad Belzig - Dessau: RE 7
Beelitz: RB 37
Ship traffic
Potsdam is touched by the Lower Havel waterway. It is
the most important east-west connection for inland shipping between the
Oder, Berlin and the Elbe. Cargo shipping uses the Sacrow-Paretzer
Canal. The port at the Long Bridge in Potsdam is used by the ships of
the company Weisse Flotte Potsdam and guest boaters from shipping
companies from Germany and other European countries. During the season
there is a daily scheduled service from the port at the Long Bridge to
Berlin-Wannsee, Spandau-Lindenufer and the Greenwichpromenade on Lake
Tegel. and in the direction of Caputh, Ferch and Werder. In the old
drive of the Havel on the Friendship Island there are jetties for
private water sports.
Air traffic
Potsdam is connected to
national and international air traffic via Berlin Brandenburg Airport
(BER), around 40 kilometers to the east. BER Airport can be reached with
the regional train line RB 22 and the express bus line BER 2 or via the
Potsdam-Schoenefeld expressway.
History
Only a few cultural traces have survived from the time of
the first settlement to the Middle Ages. During excavations at the Alter
Markt, the remains of a Slavic castle and fewer houses were found. Even
after the German conquest, Potsdam remained a small town with local
handicrafts. A cultural upswing went hand in hand with the development
as a second residential city by the Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm from
the 17th century. The stables of the city palace from 1669 are therefore
one of the oldest preserved buildings.
The immigration of
well-trained French Huguenots from 1685 promoted cultural development in
Brandenburg and Prussia. A French quarter was established in the city of
Potsdam. The French Church survived from this period.
Alongside
Berlin, Potsdam developed into a cultural center in Prussia. Frederick
the Great valued the ideas of the Enlightenment and promoted science and
art. He was the first in Europe to end censorship of non-political
sections of newspapers and stated that "gazettes should not be censored
if they are interesting". The important philosopher of the
Enlightenment, Voltaire, was invited to the court of Sanssouci in 1750
at the king's request and stayed until 1757.
After 1945, Potsdam
became a center of culture and science in the GDR, whose socialist state
government wanted to give all citizens access to cultural and social
life. According to the program, society should be educated on the model
of the USSR. Exploitation and profiteering should be stopped in all
areas of society. Historical buildings and traditions have been
neglected.
After the reunification of Germany in 1990, cultural
life in Potsdam developed dynamically after initial hesitation. The
proximity to the cultural metropolis of Berlin had an invigorating
effect. The increasing interest in the city led to numerous
reconstruction initiatives, which also found expression in a strong
patronage. In this way, the cultural landscape was able to continue to
develop.
Movie
Potsdam has been one of the most important film
centers in Germany and in the world since the Weimar period. UFA
produced works from film history there, such as Metropolis, Melodie des
Herzens, The Blue Angel or Die Feuerzangenbowle. DEFA later produced
films such as Der Untertan, Trace der Steine or Die Legende von Paul und
Paula.
Since the late 20th century, the film studios in
Babelsberg and numerous film production companies based in Potsdam have
mainly focused on national and international cinema, series and
television productions such as Gute Zeiten, Schlecht Zeiten,
Sonnenallee, Weg zum Glück, Dark or Babylon Berlin.
Due to the
large number of film companies based in Potsdam, the location has
developed into a center of pop culture in Europe.
Museums and
collections
Potsdam's museums cover a wide variety of topics. The
city has a variety of fine arts in the form of paintings and sculptures.
The main works can be seen in castles or museums. The paintings are
distributed mainly in the picture gallery. The picture gallery was built
between 1755 and 1764 at the request of King Friedrich II. It is located
to the east of Sanssouci Palace and is the oldest preserved
free-standing princely museum building in Germany. The gallery hall is
magnificently designed with richly gilded ornamentation on the slightly
vaulted ceiling. The focus of the exhibition is on Baroque, Mannerist
and Renaissance paintings. Famous Italian and Flemish painters such as
Peter Paul Rubens, Anthonis van Dyck, Antoine Watteau and Caravaggio are
represented with their works.
In addition to the existing museum
houses, a number of new foundations have expanded the museum landscape
in recent years. This includes the House of Brandenburg-Prussian
History, which was founded in 2003. The Potsdam Film Museum, founded in
1981 in the Marstall on Alter Markt, shows the development of film
history with an emphasis on the location of the film studios in
Babelsberg.
Other museums include the memorial to the
assassination of July 20, 1944 and the memorial at Lindenstraße 54/55 in
the former remand prison of the GDR State Security (MfS) in the center
of the city. A sculpture by Wieland Förster has been on display in the
yard of the MfS detention center, which is largely true to the original.
The Jan Bouman House showcases the history and architecture of the Dutch
Quarter. The Mill Museum is located in the historic mill at Sanssouci
Park, with an exhibition on the mill and a practical presentation of the
milling process. The memorial and meeting place in the former KGB prison
in Potsdam documents the history of the KGB in the GDR.
The
Museum Barberini, which opened in the rebuilt Barberini Palace in 2017,
presents changing exhibitions based on the art collection of the Hasso
Plattner Foundation with loans from international museums and private
collections. The Kunsthaus Das Minsk, also run by the Hasso Plattner
Foundation, presents art from the GDR and contemporary artists.
The Potsdam Museum - Forum for Art and History on the Alter Markt offers
a permanent exhibition on the city's history as well as special
exhibitions. It is located in the old town hall, which is connected to
the Knobelsdorffhaus by a modern building. The Nowawes weavers' room in
the weavers' quarter shows the eventful history of the Nowawes weavers'
colony in today's Babelsberg district.
The Potsdam Natural
History Museum has collected more than 220,000 objects related to
Brandenburg's animal world. The museum is housed in the former Zauche
Estates House. It was built in 1770 according to plans by Georg
Christian Unger and is part of an ensemble with the large military
orphanage in the city centre.
In the Museum FLUXUS+ in the
Schiffbauergasse, a museum for modern art, works by Wolf Vostell, Emmett
Williams, Christo, Niki de Saint Phalle, among others, can be seen. The
German Broadcasting Archive (DRA) is located on the rbb site in
Babelsberg.
In April 2012, Kai Desinger opened the Garage du
Pont, a mixture of restaurant and car museum. A number of old cars are
on display in the rooms of a former gas station, with a focus on French
classics. Operations were temporarily suspended at the end of 2019. The
reopening was reported in June 2020.
theater and music
Since
2006, the Hans-Otto-Theater has been located in the Schiffbauergasse
with its new main venue. The ensemble also plays in the historic Rococo
theater in the New Palace, which is one of the most beautifully
preserved theaters from the 18th century. It occupies the top two floors
of the south wing.
There are several orchestras in Potsdam: the
Potsdam Chamber Academy (consisting of the Oriol Ensemble and the
Persius Ensemble), the Collegium musicum Potsdam, the New Potsdam
Chamber Orchestra (as an ensemble of music at the Church of the
Redeemer), the Potsdam Young Orchestra and the Youth Symphony Orchestra
. The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg is the only professional
orchestra for film music in Germany. The Nikolaisaal was reopened as a
concert and event venue in 2000; the Kammerakademie Potsdam is the
resident orchestra of the Nikolai Hall.
The SG Fanfarenzug
Potsdam e. V. is a fanfare orchestra from Brandenburg, which became
internationally known in the field of natural fanfare music due to its
numerous awards. The fanfare procession regularly makes music through
Potsdam.
Well-known bands from Potsdam are a.o. Ruffians, Subway
to Sally or Krogman. Musical festivals and parties take place in
Lindenpark and Potsdam Pirschheide train station. In addition, various
clubs and dance bars have established themselves.
The Potsdam song premiered in April 2004 on the PotsdamTV station and
on the RBB in the Sunday pleasure program with Ekkehard Göpelt. It was
sung by Holger Hillmann, the melody was by Christoph Wirsching and it
was written by Jens Erdmann. Mayor Jann Jakobs and Prime Minister
Matthias Platzeck gave praise and recognition. The fashion designer
Wolfgang Joop, who was born in Potsdam, also commented positively on the
song for his native city.
Scene and gastronomy
Since the
1990s, the area around Schiffbauergasse in the Berlin suburbs, where
John B. Humphreys built paddle steamers in the 19th century, has
developed into a popular cultural center in Potsdam. In front of
cultural institutions such as the fabrik Potsdam, the T-Werk, the
Kunstraum Potsdam, the Schinkelhalle and the wash house, there is the
Theaterschiff Potsdam, where the Tiefen See narrows again to the Havel.
Since 2019 there have also been two restaurants in downtown Potsdam,
each with one star in the Michelin Guide.
The Potsdam Olympic Training Center is a multi-sport and cross-state
advisory and support facility for elite and young athletes in connection
with the "Friedrich Ludwig Jahn" sports school. The school bears the
official title Elite School of Sports, which it was awarded in 2006 by
the German Olympic Sports Confederation. The school and the Olympic base
are located on the shore of Lake Templin, next to the Potsdam Rowing
Society and the Brandenburg Swimming Center, which has also been the
national swimming base of the German Olympic Sports Association since
2017.
In addition, around 130 sports clubs with a total of almost
20,000 members are based in Potsdam. The SC Potsdam has the most members
in the city and in the state of Brandenburg. In football, 1. FFC Turbine
Potsdam is one of the most successful clubs in the women's Bundesliga.
Between 2004 and 2012, the club was German champion six times and won
the DFB Cup three times. In 2005, the UEFA Women's Cup was won in
Potsdam. In 2010, Turbine became the inaugural winner of the newly
launched UEFA Women's Champions League. The men's team of SV Babelsberg
03 and BSG Motor Babelsberg played both in the GDR league and the 2nd
Bundesliga, the second highest division in each case. In the 2018/19
season, the club will play in the Northeast Regional Football League.
The Potsdam Canoe Club is one of the most successful canoe racing
clubs in the world and has already produced numerous Olympic and world
champions. In volleyball, SC Potsdam plays in the women's first division
and the handball club 1. VfL Potsdam in the third division. The OSC
Potsdam water polo players play in the German Water Polo League, the 1st
Bundesliga. The USV Potsdam was represented for several seasons in the
first rugby league.
The Potsdam Royals are an American football
team that has been playing in the highest German league since 2018. In
judo, the UJKC Potsdam fights in the men's 1st Bundesliga. The women
were German team champions in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
From the
2022/23 season, the AC Potsdam weightlifters will again compete in the
1st Bundesliga. In triathlon, Triathlon Potsdam is represented by one
team each for men and women in the 1st Bundesliga.
Every year in
April, one of the few third marathon races in Germany is held in Potsdam
on a circuit with start and finish on the Glienicke Bridge.
The
most important sports venues in the city are the Karl Liebknecht Stadium
with a capacity of 10,787, home of SV Babelsberg 03 and 1. FFC Turbine
Potsdam, the Stadion am Luftschiffhafen, the MBS Arena Potsdam and the
swimming pool in the Blu-Bad.
Since 2008 there has been the
largest climbing forest in Brandenburg on the Telegrafenberg with the
Potsdam Adventure Park. Climbers can venture up to twelve meters high on
seven courses with 115 elements, including a 200-metre-long rope slide.
The annual Potsdam Palace Night takes place in the various palaces
and parks. It opens its doors in the evening and offers a glimpse into
the premises. Hundreds of artists perform at the event in the parks.
In addition, the Potsdam International Film Festival and Sehsüchte,
the largest international student film festival in Europe, are held
annually. The Sinterklaas Christmas market and the Dutch Tulip Festival
take place seasonally in the Dutch Quarter. In addition, numerous other
events have become established, such as the Potsdam Dance Days in May,
the LIT:potsdam literature festival or the UNIDRAM theater festival.
The M100 Sanssouci Colloquium is an annual international media
gathering in the city's palaces and gardens. The Prix Europa is one of
the largest trimedial festivals in Europe and a competition for
television, radio and online productions. The award ceremony has been
held in Potsdam since 2018.
Builders and landscape artists
As a master builder, Georg
Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff was influenced by French Baroque Classicism.
With his buildings he created the basis for the Frederician rococo.
Among other things, he designed the Sanssouci Palace and the City
Palace. Karl Friedrich Schinkel is one of the outstanding architects of
classicist architecture of the 19th century. His first realized design
is the Temple of Pomona on the Pfingstberg. His most important works in
Potsdam are the Charlottenhof Palace and the Nikolaikirche. With
Babelsberg Palace, he designed a building in the English neo-Gothic
style. Ludwig Persius was a student and close associate of Schinkel and
a representative of the Schinkel School. Its simple design language and
neo-Gothic elements are characteristic. His buildings include the
Heilandskirche at the Port of Sacrow, the Friedenskirche and the
Dampfmaschinenhaus in Park Babelsberg. Probably his most unusual
building is the steam engine house in the style of a Moorish mosque. Jan
Bouman was a Dutch immigrant. Among other things, he managed the
construction of the Dutch quarter, the old town hall, the
Friedrichskirche in Babelsberg and numerous town houses. Boumann played
a key role in the remodeling of the Potsdam City Palace.
The
garden and landscape artist Peter Joseph Lenné shaped garden art in
Prussia for almost half a century. He designed spacious parks based on
the model of English landscape gardens with a variety of visual axes and
was involved in urban planning by creating green spaces for local
recreation for the population. Lenné had been an honorary citizen of the
city since 1863 and died in Potsdam in 1866. Prince Hermann von
Pückler-Muskau did a great job in Potsdam by completing the Babelsberg
Park, which Peter Joseph Lenné had begun to design. Karl Foerster was a
German gardener, perennial grower and garden writer. His name is
associated with the Karl Foerster Garden in Potsdam-Bornim and the
viewing and display garden on the Friendship Island, which he suggested
was designed by his colleague Hermann Mattern. Numerous garden directors
and court gardeners, such as the garden directors Johann Gottlob Schulze
and Ferdinand Jühlke and the court gardener families Sello, Nietner and
Fintelmann, were involved in the creation and preservation of the
Potsdam garden landscape. From 1907 to 1945, Hans Kölle managed the
city's public parks, many of which he laid out.
Connected to
Potsdam
Well-known personalities who were born in Potsdam include
Wilhelm von Humboldt, Hermann von Helmholtz, Ernst Haeckel and Peter
Weiss. The fashion designer Wolfgang Joop, the former Prime Minister of
Brandenburg Matthias Platzeck, entertainer Bürger Lars Dietrich, the
multiple Olympic bobsleigh champion Kevin Kuske and the presenter Enie
van de Meiklokjes are among the well-known living sons and daughters of
the city.
Potsdam is the place of residence and work of other
celebrities, some of whom are privately involved in the city. These
include u.a. TV presenter Günther Jauch, manager Mathias Döpfner, model
Franziska Knuppe, Olympic figure skating champion Katarina Witt, Georg
Friedrich Prince of Prussia, actress Nadja Uhl and conductor Christian
Thielemann (as of 2019).
The honorary citizens of the city of
Potsdam include the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1849), the
landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné (1863), the Reich President Paul
von Hindenburg (1933), the gardener Karl Foerster (1959), the poet Hans
Marchwitza (1960) and Hasso Plattner (2017).