Potsdam

Extensive landscapes of castles, palaces and sprawling parks are the main attraction for palatial Potsdam. From the 17th through 20th centuries, Prussian kings commissioned the best artists of their time to build elaborate palaces and gardens in Potsdam, a center of Prussia and home of the royal residence. In the 19th century, renowned landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné unified these riches into such a harmonious landscape that UNESCO placed it on the list of World Heritage sites in 1991.

For most visitors, it’s Sanssouci Park that’s the prime attraction. It covers 724 acres—compared to Central Park’s 840—and has three palaces: Sanssouci Palace, the New Palace and Charlottenhof Palace.

A king who joined his troops on the battlefield, Frederick the Great commissioned Sanssouci Palace in 1747 as a summer palace where he could have a respite from battle sans souci—without worry. Visitors today still benefit from his stately escape, so check your worries at the palace gates to enjoy splendid gardens and a collection of breathtaking architecture and adornment. Most of what visitors see is the ornate original—not reconstructions or duplicates—and perhaps Germany’s most impressive example of rococo architecture. The walls, ceilings, and doors of every room were all richly and intricately embellished and furnished. In front of the palace, vineyard terraces stretch in geometric shapes down into the park. Many visitors to Sanssouci Park neglect the smaller but exquisite New Garden, with two charming palaces: the Marble Palace and Cecilienhof, built in 1917 in the style of an English country estate.

Although Cecilienhof is the youngest of the Hohenzollern palaces, it carries perhaps the greatest direct significance for Americans and modern Europe. It was here that the victorious powers of World War II met from June 17 to August 2, 1945 for the Potsdam Conference. Churchill, Truman and Stalin enjoyed the calm and luxurious surroundings of the Cecilia Court Palace as they discussed how to partition post-war Germany.

There is plenty to explore in Potsdam regarding its former Communist rule. Signs still remain from those times, which after all ended not even 2 decades ago. As recently as 1994, the city still had 60,000 Russian soldiers. And you are now free to wander the former “Forbidden City,” a walled-off villa district once controlled by the KGB.

The draw of nearby Berlin for those interested in former East Germany is natural, but many visitors opt to overnight in Potsdam and take day trips to Berlin instead of the other way around. Room rates and restaurants are considerably less expensive and the atmosphere more cordial. You can be in the heart of Berlin within 25 minutes by S-Bahn or train.

Be sure to set aside some time to walk around the Baroque Old Town, especially the Dutch Quarter with its gabled brick houses and Brandenburg Street, a pedestrian shopping boulevard lined with antique stores and shops. Gain some of the best views of the parks and palaces from the lakes and river. Relaxing cruises are available of different lengths and routes, from 90-minute lake tours to full-day excursions from Potsdam to Berlin and back.