Potsdam, only a stone’s throw away south-west of Berlin, is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg. Potsdam is a city rich with history, culture and, not the least, science.
As the residence of the Prussian kings until the early 20th century, Potsdam is home to the famous Sanssouci Palace, part of the World Heritage site ‘Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin’, with its beautiful park and surrounding grounds as well as a Botanical Garden. To the east of the city is Cecilienhof, the location of the Potsdam Conference, where Stalin, Truman and Churchill famously met to define the post WWII treaties and conditions. Nearby is the 'Bridge of Spies' (Glienicker Brücke), a symbol of the division of Germany connecting Potsdam with (West) Berlin and serving as place for exchange of captures spies during the Cold War.
Cinematic history was made in Potsdam-Babelsberg, where the oldest film studio in the world, ‘Studio Babelsberg’, was established in 1912. Early movie classics like “Metropolis” and “The Blue Angel” were produced there. Today, the studios serve as production place for large international movies.
Potsdam developed into a centre of science and research from the mid-19th century. Today, there are the University of Potsdam, the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, the Film University Babelsberg, and more than 30 research institutes in the city.
You can discover more of what Potsdam has to offer here.
The Brandenburger Tor in Potsdam.
Photo: Stadtverwaltung Potsdam, H. Kreft