photo: TMB - Glienicker Brücke (Glienicker Bridge)

In 1990 UNESCO declared large areas of the cultural landscape of Potsdam to be world heritage sites. In Potsdam, situated to the south west of Berlin, these include the historic parks of Sanssouci, the New Garden (“Neuer Garten”) and Babelsberg, together with their numerous architectural structures.

The city of Potsdam is without doubt one of the most beautiful cities in Germany and has a multiplicity of sights to recommend it. Nestling in a unique cultural landscape, it is an attractive destination. As a place with a past stretching back more than 1.000 years, Potsdam has repeatedly been a focal point of German history.

Potsdam has been a garrison town and the residence of Prussian kings, the home of the court, a military town and the seat of government.

The matter-of-fact tolerance shown by the Prussians in their consistent and willing acceptance of people of other faiths and from other countries is reflected in the face Potsdam presents to the world.

A visit to the Dutch quarter, the Russian colony Alexandrowka, the French church or villas built in the Italian country house style will turn into an excursion into European history.

The Baroque heart of the city of Potsdam beckons with its rich interplay of building styles that even today still serve as a reminder of the one-time royal residence and garrison town.