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  • Schloss Sanssouci mit Weinbergterrassen, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann Schloss Sanssouci mit Weinbergterrassen, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann

Potsdam City of palaces and gardens by the water

Visit the city of Potsdam with its marvellous palaces and gardens built by the Brandenburg-Prussian kings, most notably the world-famous Sanssouci Palace. See the historic city centre with impressive baroque squares and the largest Dutch-style colony outside the Netherlands and enjoy the stunning view of Pfingstberg Hill from the Belvedere. Last but not least, pay a visit to the Museum Barberini – a top destination for art lovers. But the UNESCO World Heritage city, boasting an exceptional location and being surrounded by countless lakes right at the gates of Berlin, has more to offer.

Let's go! We show you how to spend the perfect day in the city of palaces and gardens, give you tips and recommendations surrounding your vacation and reveal the best highlights you don't want to miss.

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Potsdam's historic centre

The splendour of monuments built during the reign of King Frederick the Great can also be found in the historic centre of the city, featuring baroque houses, city gates and Italian-style villas. Potsdam's City Palace (Stadtschloss) at Alter Markt on the banks of the Havel River has been rebuilt and serves as the seat for Brandenburg’s state parliament since late 2013.

Among the other striking monuments defining Potsdam’s historic architecture are the Church of St. Nicholas (Nikolaikirche). The former affords a fantastic panoramic view of the city. Located also at Alter Markt is the Potsdam Museum, with its golden atlas sculpture.

Having restored the destroyed Museum Barberini, which King Frederick the Great had once built as a city palace following the Roman example, the reconstruction of the historic Alter Markt has been completed. In a short space of time, the Museum Barberini has emerged as crowd puller in Potsdam’s city centre.

Situated at the Neuer Markt, one of Europe’s most beautiful baroque squares, is the “Haus der Brandenburgisch-Preußischen Geschichte” inside the “Kutschstall” or former royal stables. Nearby are the Filmmuseum. The permanent exhibition: “Dream Factory - 100 Years of Film in Babelsberg” tells the story of the legendary Babelsberg film studios - from the beginnings of film production to current productions such as Inglourious Basterds (2009).

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Museum Barberini Museum Barberini, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann
Filmmuseum Potsdam Filmmuseum Potsdam, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann
Nikolaikirche in Potsdam Nikolaikirche in Potsdam, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann
    Museum Barberini Museum Barberini, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann
  • Filmmuseum Potsdam Filmmuseum Potsdam, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann
  • Nikolaikirche in Potsdam Nikolaikirche in Potsdam, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann

UNESCO World Cultural Heritage: Potsdams Palaces and Gardens

In the past 300 years, Potsdam has transformed from a garrison town to one of the most prestigious residential cities in Europe. Just like his predecessors and successors, the Prussian King Frederick the Great commissioned numerous baroque monuments as well as 17 palaces and sites with opulently landscaped parks, among them Sanssouci Palace and Park with the New Palace (Neues Palais). Famous master builders like Knobelsdorff and Schinkel and renowned royal landscapers like Fürst von Pückler-Muskau, designed, as commissioned by the king, an impressive cultural landscape. Surrounded by the lakes of the Havel River, the historic treasures of the city can ideally be explored directly from the water on a round tour by boat. Boat captains find an incredibly vast water territory to explore on Potsdam's Havel lakes.

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Das Orangerieschloss im Park Sanssouci Das Orangerieschloss im Park Sanssouci, Picture: SPSG/Reinhardt und Sommer
Blick auf den Park Babelsberg Blick auf den Park Babelsberg, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann
Schloss Cecilienhof im Neuen Garten Schloss Cecilienhof im Neuen Garten, Picture: Hans Bach
    Das Orangerieschloss im Park Sanssouci Das Orangerieschloss im Park Sanssouci, Picture: SPSG/Reinhardt und Sommer
  • Blick auf den Park Babelsberg Blick auf den Park Babelsberg, Picture: TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH/Steffen Lehmann
  • Schloss Cecilienhof im Neuen Garten Schloss Cecilienhof im Neuen Garten, Picture: Hans Bach

Highlights in Potsdam

Steam engine building (Mosque)

Steam engine building (Mosque) Steam engine building (Mosque) Steam engine building (Mosque) Steam engine building (Mosque)

The mosque with a minaret at the Neustädter Havelbucht was built to cover steam engines. In 1841 King Frederick Wilhelm IV…
The mosque with a minaret at the Neustädter Havelbucht was built to cover steam engines.…
The mosque with a minaret at the Neustädter Havelbucht was built to cover steam engines. In 1841 King Frederick Wilhelm IV instructed the…
The mosque with a minaret at the Neustädter Havelbucht was built to cover steam engines. In 1841 King Frederick Wilhelm IV instructed the…
Potsdam | Potsdam
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Steam engine house "Mosque" Potsdam, Foto: Wolfgang Pfauder, Lizenz: SPSG/
Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill

Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill

The Einstein Tower is the most impressive construction on the Telegrafenberg Hill in Potsdam. It is the first and one of the most…
The Einstein Tower is the most impressive construction on the Telegrafenberg Hill in…
The Einstein Tower is the most impressive construction on the Telegrafenberg Hill in Potsdam. It is the first and one of the most famous…
The Einstein Tower is the most impressive construction on the Telegrafenberg Hill in Potsdam. It is the first and one of the most famous…
Potsdam | Potsdam
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Einstein Tower, Foto: Bach, Lizenz: TMB-picture archive
DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam

DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam

The MINSK has been the Museum of Modern Art in Potsdam since 2022. The exhibitions present works of art from the former GDR, which…
The MINSK has been the Museum of Modern Art in Potsdam since 2022. The exhibitions present…
The MINSK has been the Museum of Modern Art in Potsdam since 2022. The exhibitions present works of art from the former GDR, which are part…
The MINSK has been the Museum of Modern Art in Potsdam since 2022. The exhibitions present works of art from the former GDR, which are part…
Potsdam | Potsdam
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DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam (construction site photo), Foto: André Stiebitz, Lizenz: PMSG Potsdam Marketing und Service GmbH
Charlottenhof Villa

Charlottenhof Villa Charlottenhof Villa Charlottenhof Villa Charlottenhof Villa

In the southwest of Sanssouci Palace lies Charlottenhof, a small neo-classical villa, forming the architectural centre of a park,…
In the southwest of Sanssouci Palace lies Charlottenhof, a small neo-classical villa,…
In the southwest of Sanssouci Palace lies Charlottenhof, a small neo-classical villa, forming the architectural centre of a park, which was…
In the southwest of Sanssouci Palace lies Charlottenhof, a small neo-classical villa, forming the architectural centre of a park, which was…
Potsdam | Potsdam
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Charlottenhof Villa in Park Sanssouci, Foto: André Stiebitz, Lizenz: SPSG/PMSG
Sanssouci Park

Sanssouci Park Sanssouci Park Sanssouci Park Sanssouci Park

Plums, figs and wine – these were the things Frederick the Great wanted to grow before the gates of Potsdam. He had the terrace…
Plums, figs and wine – these were the things Frederick the Great wanted to grow before the…
Plums, figs and wine – these were the things Frederick the Great wanted to grow before the gates of Potsdam. He had the terrace garden in…
Plums, figs and wine – these were the things Frederick the Great wanted to grow before the gates of Potsdam. He had the terrace garden in…
Potsdam | Potsdam
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Sanssouci Palace at Sanssouci Park, Foto: Leo Seidel, Lizenz: SPSG/TMB-Fotoarchiv
Museum Barberini

Museum Barberini Museum Barberini Museum Barberini Museum Barberini

The square Alter Markt, Potsdam's historic centre, was designed under Frederick II in the mid-18th century based on Italian…
The square Alter Markt, Potsdam's historic centre, was designed under Frederick II in…
The square Alter Markt, Potsdam's historic centre, was designed under Frederick II in the mid-18th century based on Italian models. The…
The square Alter Markt, Potsdam's historic centre, was designed under Frederick II in the mid-18th century based on Italian models. The…
Potsdam | Potsdam
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Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Foto: André Stiebitz, Lizenz: PMSG Potsdam Marketing und Service GmbH
Steam engine building (Mosque)

Steam engine building (Mosque) Steam engine building (Mosque)

The mosque with a minaret at the Neustädter Havelbucht was built to cover steam engines. In 1841 King Frederick Wilhelm IV instructed the architect Persius to adapt Moorish architecture. At the time of the construction, the mosque was the highest building in the area and could be excellently spotted from the terrace of Sanssouci Palace. The steam engine, hidden in the mosque, was…
The mosque with a minaret at the Neustädter Havelbucht was built to cover steam engines. In 1841 King Frederick Wilhelm IV instructed the architect Persius to adapt Moorish architecture. At the time of the construction, the mosque was the highest building in the area and could be excellently spotted…
The mosque with a minaret at the Neustädter Havelbucht was built to cover steam engines. In 1841 King Frederick Wilhelm IV instructed the architect Persius to adapt Moorish architecture. At the time of the construction, the mosque…
The mosque with a minaret at the Neustädter Havelbucht was built to cover steam engines. In 1841 King Frederick Wilhelm IV instructed the…
Potsdam | Potsdam
Find out more!
Steam engine house "Mosque" Potsdam, Foto: Wolfgang Pfauder, Lizenz: SPSG/
Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill

Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill Einstein Tower on Telegrafenberg Hill

The Einstein Tower is the most impressive construction on the Telegrafenberg Hill in Potsdam. It is the first and one of the most…
The Einstein Tower is the most impressive construction on the Telegrafenberg Hill in…
The Einstein Tower is the most impressive construction on the Telegrafenberg Hill in Potsdam. It is the first and one of the most famous…
The Einstein Tower is the most impressive construction on the Telegrafenberg Hill in Potsdam. It is the first and one of the most famous…
Potsdam | Potsdam
Find out more!
Einstein Tower, Foto: Bach, Lizenz: TMB-picture archive
DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam

DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam

The MINSK has been the Museum of Modern Art in Potsdam since 2022. The exhibitions present works of art from the former GDR, which…
The MINSK has been the Museum of Modern Art in Potsdam since 2022. The exhibitions present…
The MINSK has been the Museum of Modern Art in Potsdam since 2022. The exhibitions present works of art from the former GDR, which are part…
The MINSK has been the Museum of Modern Art in Potsdam since 2022. The exhibitions present works of art from the former GDR, which are part…
Potsdam | Potsdam
Find out more!
DAS MINSK Kunsthaus in Potsdam (construction site photo), Foto: André Stiebitz, Lizenz: PMSG Potsdam Marketing und Service GmbH
Charlottenhof Villa

Charlottenhof Villa Charlottenhof Villa

In the southwest of Sanssouci Palace lies Charlottenhof, a small neo-classical villa, forming the architectural centre of a park, which was later added to the 18th-century Sanssouci gardens in 1826. That year Frederick William IV, who was quite fond of art, assigned architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel with the remodelling of his farm house into a neo-classical summer residence. Schinkel´s…
In the southwest of Sanssouci Palace lies Charlottenhof, a small neo-classical villa, forming the architectural centre of a park, which was later added to the 18th-century Sanssouci gardens in 1826. That year Frederick William IV, who was quite fond of art, assigned architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel…
In the southwest of Sanssouci Palace lies Charlottenhof, a small neo-classical villa, forming the architectural centre of a park, which was later added to the 18th-century Sanssouci gardens in 1826. That year Frederick William IV,…
In the southwest of Sanssouci Palace lies Charlottenhof, a small neo-classical villa, forming the architectural centre of a park, which was…
Potsdam | Potsdam
Find out more!
Charlottenhof Villa in Park Sanssouci, Foto: André Stiebitz, Lizenz: SPSG/PMSG

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