Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

. It is part of the

Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region The Berlin/Brandenburg metropolitan region (german: Metropolregion Berlin-Brandenburg) or capital region (german: Hauptstadtregion Berlin-Brandenburg) is one of eleven metropolitan regions of Germany, consisting of the entire territories of the s ...

. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

, downstream of Berlin, and lies embedded in a hilly

morainic A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice she ...

landscape dotted with many lakes, around 20 of which are located within Potsdam's city limits. It lies some southwest of Berlin's city centre. The name of the city and of many of its boroughs are of Slavic origin. Potsdam was a residence of the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n kings and the German Kaiser until 1918. Its planning embodied ideas of the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...

: through a careful balance of architecture and landscape, Potsdam was intended as "a picturesque, pastoral dream" which would remind its residents of their relationship with nature and reason. The city, which is over 1000 years old, is widely known for its palaces, its lakes, and its overall historical and cultural significance. Landmarks include the parks and palaces of

Sanssouci Sanssouci () is a historical building in Potsdam, near Berlin. Built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace, it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and ...

, Germany's largest World Heritage Site, as well as other palaces such as the

Orangery Palace The Orangery Palace (german: Orangerieschloss) is a palace located in the Sanssouci Park of Potsdam, Germany. It is also known as the New Orangery on the Klausberg, or just the Orangery. It was built on behest of the "Romantic on the Throne", Ki ...

, the New Palace,

Cecilienhof Palace Cecilienhof Palace (german: Schloss Cecilienhof) is a palace in Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany, built from 1914 to 1917 in the layout of an English Tudor manor house. Cecilienhof was the last palace built by the House of Hohenzollern that ruled t ...

, and

Charlottenhof Palace Charlottenhof Palace or Charlottenhof Manor (german: Schloss Charlottenhof) is a former royal palace located southwest of Sanssouci Palace in Sanssouci Park at Potsdam, Germany. It is best known as the summer residence of Crown Prince Frederick ...

. Potsdam was also the location of the significant

Potsdam Conference The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris P ...

in 1945, the conference where the three heads of government of the USSR, the US, and the UK decided on the division of Germany following its surrender, a conference which defined Germany's history for the following 45 years.

Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter ('' Stadtteil'') of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Pala ...

, in the south-eastern part of Potsdam, was already by the 1930s the home of a major film production studio and it has enjoyed success as an important center of European film production since the

fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall (german: Mauerfall) on 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, was a pivotal event in world history which marked the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain and one of the series of eve ...

. The

Filmstudio Babelsberg Babelsberg Film Studio (german: Filmstudio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the second oldest large-scale film studio in the world only preceded by the Danish Nordisk Film, Nordisk Film (est. 1906), producing ...

, founded in 1912, is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. Potsdam developed into a centre of science in Germany in the 19th century. Today, there are three public colleges, the

University of Potsdam The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace of Sanssouci which is known ...

, and more than 30 research institutes in the city.

Geography

Templiner See, Vorderkappe und Hermannswerder 1

The area was formed from a series of large moraines left after the last glacial period. Today, only one quarter of the city is built up, the rest remaining as green space. There are about 20 lakes and rivers in and around Potsdam, such as the Havel, the

Griebnitzsee Griebnitzsee (, from the Slavic ''Grib'', ''Mushroom'') is a lake at the south-western outskirts of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. At an elevation of 29.4 m, its surface area is ca. 0.592 km². The lake forms the border between the Germ ...

Templiner See Templiner See () is a lake in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It stretches to the south and west from the centre of the city of Potsdam. The lake is some long, with a maximum width of and a surface area is . It lies at an elevation of above ...

Tiefer See Tiefer See is a lake in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europ ...

Jungfernsee The Jungfernsee (translated "Virgin Lake") is north of Potsdam, Germany. It was a glacial kettle and is now part of the River Havel, which runs along its southeastern shore, which is also the only part of its shores that is in Berlin. The rest of ...

, Teltowkanal,

Heiliger See Heiliger See (English: Holy Lake) is a lake within the city limits of Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany, located northeast of the city center and bordering the historic park known as the New Garden. Together with the lakes Sacrower See and Groß Gl ...

, and Sacrower See. The highest point is the high '' Kleiner Ravensberg''.

Subdivisions

Potsdam is divided into seven historic city ''Stadtteile'' (quarters) and nine new ''Ortsteile'' (suburbs/wards, former separate villages), which joined the city in 2003. The appearance of the city boroughs is quite different. Those in the north and in the centre consist mainly of historical buildings, the south of the city is dominated by larger areas of newer buildings. The city of Potsdam is divided into 32 '' Stadtteile'' (boroughs, both quarters and suburbs/wards together), which are divided further into 84 statistical ''Bezirke'' (districts). Today, one distinguishes between the older parts of the city (areas of the historic city and places suburbanized at the latest in 1939) – these are the city center, the western and northern suburbs, Bornim, Bornstedt, Nedlitz, Potsdam South, Babelsberg, Drewitz, Stern and Kirchsteigfeld – and those communities incorporated after 1990 which have since 2003 become ''Otsteile'' – these are Eiche, Fahrland, Golm, Groß Glienicke, Grube, Marquardt, Neu Fahrland, Satzkorn and Uetz-Paaren. The new ''Ortsteile'' are located mainly in the north of the city. For the history of all incorporations, see the relevant section on incorporation and spin-offs. ''Structure with statistical numbering:'' Potsdam subdivisions

* 1 Potsdam Nord ** 11 Bornim ** 12

Nedlitz Nedlitz is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Zerbst.Bornstedt ** 14 Sacrow ** 15 Eiche ** 16 Grube ** 17 Golm * 2 Nördliche Vorstädte ** 21 Nauener Vorstadt ** 22 Jägervorstadt ** 23 Berliner Vorstadt * 3 Westliche Vorstädte ** 31 Brandenburger Vorstadt ** 32 Potsdam West * 4 Innenstadt ** 41 Historische Innenstadt ** 43 Zentrum Ost und Nuthepark ** 44 Hauptbahnhof und Brauhausberg Nord * 5

** 51 Klein Glienicke ** 52 Babelsberg Nord ** 53 Babelsberg Süd * 6 Potsdam Süd ** 61 Templiner Vorstadt ** 62 Teltower Vorstadt ** 63 Schlaatz ** 64 Waldstadt I und Industriegelände ** 65 Waldstadt II * 7 Potsdam Südost ** 71 Stern ** 72 Drewitz ** 73 Kirchsteigfeld * 8 Nördliche Ortsteile ** 81 Uetz-Paaren ** 82

Marquardt Marquardt is a surname of German origin. Notable people with the surname include: * August F. Marquardt (1850–1925), American politician *Bridget Marquardt (born 1973), American television personality, glamour model, and actress * Christel Marquar ...

** 83 Satzkorn ** 84 Fahrland ** 85 Neu Fahrland ** 86

Groß Glienicke Groß Glienicke is a village located both in Berlin and Potsdam, the capital of the German state of Brandenburg. Until 2003, when it was merged into Potsdam, the Brandenburg—and main—side, was an autonomous municipality. The Berlin side is p ...

At the end of 2019, a change was made to the administrative structure: * Borough 41 has been renamed: previously ''Nördliche Innenstadt'', now ''Historische Innenstadt''. * Borough 42 ''(Südliche Innenstadt)'' has been divided into two boroughs, 43 ''(Zentrum Ost und Nuthepark)'' and 44 ''(Hauptbahnhof und Brauhausberg Nord)''. The number 42 was thus repealed. * Some very sparsely populated urban boroughs have been disbanded: ** Borough 33 ''(Wildpark)'' was incorporated into borough 32 ''(Potsdam-West)''. ** Borough 66 ''(Industriegelände)'' was incorporated into borough 64 (formerly ''Waldstadt I''). The borough was then renamed ''Waldstadt I und Industriegelände''. ** Borough 67 ''(Forst Potsdam Süd)'' was incorporated into borough 61 ''(Templiner Vorstadt)''.

Climate

Officially the climate is

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

- more degraded by being far from the coast and to the east (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Cfb''), but using the 1961-1990 normal and the 0 °C isotherm the city has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfb''), which also shows a slight influence of the continent different from the climates predominantly influenced by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. Low averages below freezing for almost all winter causing snows that are frequent and winters are cold, but not as stringent as inland locations or with greater influence from the same. Summer is also relatively warm with temperatures between 23 and 24 °C, the heat waves being influenced by the UHI of Potsdam. The average winter high temperature is , with a low of . Snow is common in the winter. Spring and autumn are short. Summers are mild, with a high of and a low of .

Etymology

The name "Potsdam" originally seems to have been '' Poztupimi''. A common theory is that it derives from an old West Slavonic term meaning "beneath the oaks", i.e., the corrupted ''pod dubmi/dubimi'' (''pod'' "beneath", ''dub'' "oak"). However, some question this explanation.August Kopish, "Die Königlichen Schlösser u. Gärten zu Potsdam", Berlin, 1854
p. 18 (Google Books)
/ref>

History

Pre- and early history

The area around Potsdam shows signs of occupancy since the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

and was part of ''

Magna Germania Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north-c ...

'' as described by

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

. After the

great migrations ''Great Migrations'' is a seven-episode nature documentary television miniseries that airs on the National Geographic Channel, featuring the great migrations of animals around the globe. The seven-part show is the largest programming event in t ...

of the Germanic peoples,

Slav Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

s moved in and Potsdam was probably founded after the 7th century as a settlement of the Hevelli tribe centred on a castle. It was first mentioned in a document in 993 as ''Poztupimi'', when

Emperor Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of G ...

gifted the territory to the

Quedlinburg Abbey Quedlinburg Abbey (german: Stift Quedlinburg or ) was a house of secular canonesses ''(Frauenstift)'' in Quedlinburg in what is now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Mathilda, the widow of the East Frankis ...

, then led by his aunt

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

. By 1317, it was mentioned as a small town. It gained its

town charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charter ...

in 1345. In 1573, it was still a small

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

of 2,000 inhabitants.

Early modern era

Potsdam lost nearly half of its population due to the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

(1618–1648). A continuous Hohenzollern possession since 1415, Potsdam became prominent, when it was chosen in 1660 as the hunting residence of Frederick William I,

Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

, the core of the powerful state that later became the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

. It also housed

n barracks. Voltaire-Baquoy

After the

Edict of Potsdam The Edict of Potsdam (german: Edikt von Potsdam) was a proclamation issued by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, in Potsdam on 29 October 1685, as a response to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by the Edict of Fonta ...

in 1685, Potsdam became a centre of European immigration. Its religious freedom attracted people from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

(

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

s),

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and Bohemia. The edict accelerated population growth and economic recovery. Later, the city became a full residence of the Prussian royal family. The buildings of the royal residences were built mainly during the reign of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

. One of these is the Sanssouci Palace (French: "without cares", by

Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff (Hans) Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff (17 February 1699 – 16 September 1753) was a painter and architect in Prussia. Knobelsdorff was born in Kuckädel, now in Krosno Odrzańskie County. A soldier in the service of Prussia, he resigned his ...

, 1744), famed for its formal gardens and

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

interiors. Other royal residences include the New Palace and the

Orangery An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very lar ...

. In 1815, at the formation of the

Province of Brandenburg The Province of Brandenburg (german: Provinz Brandenburg) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1945. Brandenburg was established in 1815 from the Kingdom of Prussia's core territory, comprised the bulk of the historic Margraviate of Brandenburg ...

, Potsdam became the provincial capital until 1918, except for a period between 1827 and 1843 when Berlin was the provincial capital (as it became once again after 1918). The province comprised two governorates named after their capitals Potsdam and Frankfurt (Oder).

Governorate of Potsdam

Between 1815 and 1945, the city of Potsdam served as capital of the (german: Regierungsbezirk Potsdam). The ''

Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...

'' encompassed the former districts of

Uckermark The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, straddles the Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau. Geography The region is nam ...

, the Mark of Priegnitz, and the greater part of the Middle March. It was situated between

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...

and the Province of Pomerania on the north, and the Province of Saxony on the south and west (Berlin, with a small surrounding district, was an urban governorate and enclave within the governorate of Potsdam between 1815 and 1822, then it merged as urban district into the governorate only to be disentangled again from Potsdam governorate in 1875, becoming a distinct province-like entity on 1 April 1881). Towards the north west the governorate was bounded by the rivers

and the Havel, and on the north east by the Oder. The south eastern boundary was to the neighbouring governorate of Frankfurt (Oder). About 500,000 inhabitants lived in the Potsdam governorate, which covered an area of about , divided into thirteen rural districts, partially named after their capitals:Thomas Curtis (1839). ''The London encyclopaedia, or, Universal dictionary of science, art, literature, and practical mechanics, by the orig. ed. of the Encyclopaedia metropolitana'' Volume XVIII
p. 11
/ref> The traditional towns in the governorate were small, however, in the course of the industrial labour migration some reached the rank of urban districts. The principal towns were Brandenburg upon Havel,

Köpenick Köpenick () is a historic town and locality (''Ortsteil'') in Berlin, situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme and Spree in the south-east of the German capital. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially adopt ...

, Potsdam,

Prenzlau Prenzlau (, formerly also Prenzlow) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, the administrative seat of Uckermark District. It is also the centre of the historic Uckermark region. Geography The town is located on the Ucker river, about north of Be ...

Spandau Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smallest borough by population, but the fourth largest by land ...

and

Ruppin Neuruppin (; North Brandenburgisch: ''Reppin'') is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, the administrative seat of Ostprignitz-Ruppin district. It is the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Fontane (1819–1898) and therefore also referred to as ''Fonta ...

. Until 1875 Berlin also was a town within the governorate. After its disentanglement a number of its suburbs outside Berlin's municipal borders grew to towns, many forming urban ''Bezirke'' within the governorate of Potsdam such as

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the ...

Lichtenberg Lichtenberg () is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen. Overview The district contains the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, the larger of Berlin ...

, Rixdorf (after 1912 Neukölln), and

Schöneberg Schöneberg () is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempe ...

(all of which, as well as Köpenick and Spandau, incorporated into

Greater Berlin The Greater Berlin Act (german: Groß-Berlin-Gesetz), officially Law Regarding the Creation of the New Municipality of Berlin (german: Gesetz über die Bildung einer neuen Stadtgemeinde Berlin), was a law passed by the Prussian state government i ...

in 1920). The urban ''Bezirke'' were (years indicating the elevation to rank of urban ''Bezirk''or affiliation with Potsdam governorate, respectively):

20th century

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

was the capital of

and later of the German Empire, but the court remained in Potsdam, where many government officials settled. In 1914, Emperor

Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

signed the Declaration of War in the ''Neues Palais'' (New Palace). The city lost its status as a "second capital" in 1918, when Wilhelm II abdicated and Germany became a Republic at the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After the Nazis seized power in 1933, there was a ceremonial handshake between

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Paul von Hindenburg and the new Chancellor of Germany, Chancellor Adolf Hitler on 21 March 1933 in Potsdam's Garrison Church (Potsdam), Garrison Church in what became known as the "Potsdam Day, Day of Potsdam". This symbolised a coalition of the military (''Reichswehr'') and Nazism. Potsdam was severely damaged by Strategic bombing during World War II, Allied bombing raids during World War II. The Cecilienhof, Cecilienhof Palace was the scene of the

from 17 July to 2 August 1945, at which the victorious Allies of World War II, Allied leaders Harry S. Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin met to decide the future of Germany and postwar Europe in general. The conference ended with the Potsdam Agreement and the Potsdam Declaration. Glienicker Brücke2

The government of East Germany (formally known as the German Democratic Republic (German: ''Deutsche Demokratische Republik'', DDR)) tried to remove symbols of "Prussian militarism". Many historic buildings, some of them badly damaged in the war, were demolished. When in 1946 the remainder of the Province of Brandenburg west of the Oder-Neiße line was constituted as the state of

, Potsdam became its capital. In 1952 the GDR disestablished its states and replaced them by smaller new Subdivisions of East Germany, East German administrative districts known as ''Bezirke''. Potsdam became the capital of the new ''Potsdam (Bezirk), Bezirk Potsdam'' until 1990. Potsdam, south-west of Berlin, lay just outside West Berlin after the construction of the Berlin Wall. The walling off of West Berlin not only isolated Potsdam from West Berlin, but also doubled commuting times to East Berlin. The Glienicke Bridge across the Havel connected the city to West Berlin and was the scene of some Cold War exchanges of spy, spies. After German reunification, Potsdam became the capital of the newly re-established state of

. Since then there have been many ideas and efforts to reconstruct the original appearance of the city, including the Stadtschloss, Potsdam, Potsdam City Palace and the Garrison Church.

Demography

Since 2000 Potsdam has been one of the fastest-growing cities in Germany. Bevölkerungsentwicklung Potsdam.pdf, Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: Comparison to Population Development of Brandenburg state; Grey Background: Time of Nazi rule; Red Background: Time of Communist rule) Bevölkerungsprognosen Potsdam.pdf, Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to the Census in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005–2030 (yellow line); for 2017–2030 (scarlet line); for 2020–2030 (green line)

International residents

Largest groups of foreign residents:

Governance

City government

Potsdam has had a mayor (''Bürgermeister'') and city council since the 15th century. From 1809 the city council was elected, with a mayor (''Oberbürgermeister'') at its head. During Nazi Germany, the mayor was selected by the NSDAP and the city council was dissolved; it was reconstituted in token form after 1945, but free elections did not take place until after reunification. Today, the city council is the city's central administrative authority. Local elections took place on 26 October 2003 and again in 2008. Between 1990 and 1999, the Chairman of the City Council was known as the "Town President" but today the post is the "Chairman of the City Council". The mayor is elected directly by the population. 2018 Potsdam mayoral election (2nd round)

2018 Potsdam mayoral election (2nd round)

The current mayor is Mike Schubert of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 2018. The most recent mayoral election was held on 23 September 2018, with a runoff held on 14 October, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Mike Schubert , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party , 23,872 , 32.2 , 28,803 , 55.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Martina Trauth , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left , 14,161 , 19.1 , 23,283 , 44.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Götz Friederich , align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union , 12,892 , 17.4 , - , , align=left, Lutz Boede , align=left, The Others , 8,449 , 11.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Dennis Hohloch , align=left, Alternative for Germany , 8,215 , 11.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Janny Armbruster , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens , 6,586 , 8.9 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 74,175 ! 99.3 ! 52,086 ! 97.7 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 549 ! 0.7 ! 1,251 ! 2.3 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 74,724 ! 100.0 ! 53,337 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 140,963 ! 53.0 ! 141,109 ! 37.8 , - , colspan=7, Source: City of Potsdam
1st round
2019 Potsdam City Council election

The city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , 49,898 , 19.3 , 4.0 , 11 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 48,739 , 18.8 , 6.9 , 10 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Germany), The Left (Die Linke) , 46,761 , 18.1 , 7.2 , 10 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 32,078 , 12.4 , 3.1 , 7 , 2 , - , bgcolor=127070, , align=left, The Others (aNDERE) , 26,754 , 10.3 , 2.6 , 6 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , 24,508 , 9.5 , 5.0 , 5 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 12,620 , 4.9 , 2.4 , 3 , 2 , - , , align=left, CitizensAlliance (BB) , 10,124 , 3.9 , 2.2 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI , 3,955 , 1.5 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Brandenburg United Civic Movements/Free Voters (BVB/FW) , 2,985 , 1.2 , 0.3 , 1 , ±0 , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Independent Charnow , 214 , 0.1 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 258,636 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total votes ! 88,055 ! 100.0 ! ! 56 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 141,443 ! 62.3 ! 13.5 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Potsdam

Brandenburg state government

The Landtag Brandenburg, the parliament of the

of Brandenburg is in Potsdam. It has been housed in the Stadtschloss, Potsdam, Potsdam City Palace since 2014.

Twin towns – sister cities

Potsdam is Sister city, twinned with: * Opole, Poland (1973) * Bobigny, France (1974) * Jyväskylä, Finland (1985) * Bonn, Germany (1988) * Perugia, Italy (1990) * Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sioux Falls, United States (1990) * Lucerne, Switzerland (2002) * Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, France (2016) * Zanzibar City, Tanzania (2017)

Infrastructure

Transport

Rail transport

Potsdam, included in the fare zone "C" (''Tarifbereich C'') of

's public transport area and fare zones A and B of its own public transport area, is served by the S7 (Berlin), S7 ''Berlin S-Bahn, S-Bahn'' line. The stations served are Potsdam Griebnitzsee railway station, Griebnitzsee, Potsdam-Babelsberg station, Babelsberg and the Potsdam Hauptbahnhof, Central Station (''Hauptbahnhof''), the main and long-distance station of the city. Other Deutsche Bahn, DB stations in Potsdam are Potsdam Charlottenhof station, Charlottenhof, Potsdam Park Sanssouci railway station, Park Sanssouci (including the monumental ''Kaiserbahnhof Potsdam, Kaiserbahnhof''), Potsdam Medienstadt Babelsberg station, Medienstadt Babelsberg, Potsdam-Rehbrücke station, Rehbrücke, Potsdam Pirschheide railway station, Pirschheide and Marquardt station, Marquardt. The city also possesses a 27 km-long Potsdam Tramway, tramway network.

Road transport

Potsdam is served by several German Autobahnen, motorways: the Bundesautobahn 10, A 10, a beltway better known as ''Berliner Ring'', the Bundesautobahn 115, A 115 (using part of the AVUS) and is closely linked to the Bundesautobahn 2, A 2 and Bundesautobahn 9, A 9. The Bundesstraße 1, B 1 and Bundesstraße 2, B 2 List of federal highways in Germany, federal roads cross the city. Potsdam features a network of urban and suburban buses.

Education and research

Potsdam is a College town, university town. The

was founded in 1991 as a university of the State of Brandenburg. Its predecessor was the ''Akademie für Staats- und Rechtswissenschaften der DDR "Walter Ulbricht"'', a college of education founded in 1948 which was one of the GDR's most important colleges. There are about 20,000 students enrolled at the university. Einsteinturm 7443

In 1991 the ''Fachhochschule Potsdam'' was founded as the second college. It had 3,518 students as of 2017. Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg (HFF), founded in 1954 in

, is the foremost centre of the German film industry since its birth, with over 600 students. There are also several research foundations, including Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Polymer Research and Biomedical Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (''Albert Einstein Institute''), Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, and Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, the GFZ – German Research Centre for Geosciences, the Potsdam Astrophysical Institute, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, which employs 340 people in researching climate change. As well as universities, Potsdam is home to reputable secondary schools. Montessori Gesamtschule Potsdam, in western Potsdam, attracts 400 students from the Brandenburg and Berlin region.

Culture

Potsdam was historically a centre of European immigration. Its religious tolerance attracted people from France, Russia, the Netherlands and Bohemia. This is still visible in the culture and architecture of the city. The most popular attraction in Potsdam is Sanssouci Park, west of the city centre. In 1744 Frederick II of Prussia, King Frederick the Great ordered the construction of a residence here, where he could live ''sans souci'' ("without worries", in the French spoken at the court). The park hosts a botanical garden (Botanical Garden, Potsdam) and many buildings: * The Sanssouci Palace (''Schloss Sanssouci''), a relatively modest palace of the Prussian royal (and later German imperial) family * The

(''Orangerieschloss''), former palace for foreign royal guests * The New Palace (''Neues Palais''), built between 1763 and 1769 to celebrate the end of the Seven Years' War, in which Prussia held off the combined attacks of Austria and Russia. It is a much larger and grander palace than Sanssouci, having over 200 rooms and 400 statues as decoration. It served as a guest house for numerous royal visitors. Today, it houses parts of

. * The

(''Schloss Charlottenhof''), a Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical palace by Karl Friedrich Schinkel built in 1826 * The Roman Baths (Potsdam), Roman Baths (''Römische Bäder''), built by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Friedrich Ludwig Persius in 1829–1840. It is a complex of buildings including a tea pavilion, a Renaissance-style villa, and a Roman bathhouse (from which the whole complex takes its name). * The Chinese House (Potsdam), Chinese Tea House (''Chinesisches Teehaus''), an 18th-century pavilion built in a China, Chinese style, the fashion of the time. Three gates from the original city wall remain today. The oldest is the Hunters' Gate (''Jägertor''), built in 1733. The Nauener Tor was built in 1755 and close to the historic Dutch Quarter. The ornate Brandenburg Gate (Potsdam), Brandenburg Gate (built in 1770, not to be confused with the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin) is situated on the Luisenplatz at the western entrance to the old town. Nikolaikirche mit Tympanon

The Old Market Square, Potsdam, Old Market Square (''Alter Markt'') is Potsdam's historical city centre. For three centuries this was the site of the Stadtschloss, Potsdam, City Palace (''Stadtschloß''), a royal palace built in 1662. Under

, the palace became the winter residence of the Prussian kings. The palace was severely damaged by Allied bombing in 1945 and demolished in 1961 by the Communist authorities. In 2002 the Fortuna Gate (''Fortunaportal'') was rebuilt in its original historic position which was followed by a complete reconstruction of the palace as the Landtag of Brandenburg, Brandenburg Landtag building inaugurated in 2014. Nearby the square in the Humboldtstraße block, which also was demolished after getting damaged in 1945, reconstructions of several representative residential palaces including Palazzo Pompei and Palazzo Barberini Museum Barberini, housing an arts museum were completed in 2016–2017 alongside buildings with modernized facades to restore the historical proportions of the block. Potsdam Brandenburger Str

The Old Market Square is dominated today by the dome of St. Nicholas' Church, Potsdam, St. Nicholas' Church, built in 1837 in the Neoclassical style. It was the last work of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, who designed the building but did not live to see its completion. It was finished by his disciples Friedrich August Stüler and Ludwig Persius. The eastern side of the Market Square is dominated by the Old City Hall, built in 1755 by the Dutch architect Jan Bouman (1706–1776). It has a characteristic circular tower, crowned with a gilded Atlas (mythology), Atlas bearing the world on his shoulders. Potsdam - Brandenburger Tor - Feldseite - 2013

Potsdam - Brandenburger Tor - Feldseite - 2013

North of the Old Market Square is the oval French Church (''Französische Kirche''), erected in the 1750s by Boumann for the

community. To the south lies the Museum Barberini, a copy of the previous building, the Barberini Palace. The museum was funded by the German billionaire Hasso Plattner. The former Baroque architecture, Baroque building was built by Carl von Gontard in 1771–1772, inspired by the Renaissance palace Palazzo Barberini in Rome. The newly built museum was scheduled to open in spring 2017. Another landmark of Potsdam is the two-street Dutch Quarter (''Holländisches Viertel''), an ensemble of buildings that is unique in Europe, with about 150 houses built of red bricks in the Dutch style. It was built between 1734 and 1742 under the direction of Jan Bouman to be used by Dutch artisans and craftsmen who had been invited to settle here by Frederick Wilhelm I, King Frederick Wilhelm I. Today, this area is one of Potsdam's most visited quarters. North of the city centre is the

n colony of Alexandrowka, a small enclave of Russian architecture (including an Russian Orthodox, Orthodox chapel) built in 1825 for a group of Russian immigrants. Since 1999, the colony has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin. East of the Alexandrowka colony is a large park, the New Garden (Potsdam), New Garden (''Neuer Garten''), which was laid out from 1786 in the English landscape garden, English style. The site contains two palaces; one of them, the Cecilienhof, was where the

was held in July and August 1945. The ''Marmorpalais'' (Marble Palace) was built in 1789 in Neoclassical style. Nearby is the ''Biosphäre Potsdam'', a tropical botanical garden.

, a quarter south-east of the centre, houses the Universum Film AG, UFA film studios (Babelsberg Studios), and an extensive Babelsberg Park, park with some historical buildings, including the Babelsberg Palace (Schloß Babelsberg, a Gothic revival palace designed by Schinkel). The Einstein Tower is located within the Albert Einstein Science Park, which is on the top of the ''Telegraphenberg'' within an astronomy compound. Potsdam also features a memorial centre in the former KGB prison in Leistikowstraße. In the Volkspark to the north, there is one of the last monuments dedicated to Lenin in Germany. Potsdam joined UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, Network of Creative Cities as a Design City on October 31, 2019 on the occasion of World Cities’ Day.

Parks

There are many parks in Potsdam, most of them UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Among their attractions are: 2010 Park Sanssouci - Potsdam.jpg, The Chinese House (Potsdam), Chinese House in Sanssouci Park Hunting Lodge Glienicke 2.jpg, Jagdschloss Glienicke, Glienicke Hunting Lodge, as seen from Babelsberg Park 2020-09-23 Potsdam 1DX 1634 by Stepro.jpg, The Marmorpalais in New Garden, Potsdam, New Garden Orangerie Schloss Spielstätte.JPG,

: the

Potsdam BelvedereKlausberg1.jpg, The Belvedere auf dem Klausberg Schloss Babelsberg 3.jpg, Schloss Babelsberg, Babelsberg Palace

Sports

* 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, one of the most successful German female football clubs (Fußball-Bundesliga (women), Bundesliga (women))
Potsdam Royals
American football team competing in the German Football League. * SV Babelsberg 03, football club Regionalliga Nordost * * USV Potsdam, rugby union (2nd Rugby-Bundesliga) and Association football, football (Kreisklasse) * List of football clubs in Potsdam * The (''Potsdam Palace Marathon'') is a marathon in that is held annually in June. Thousands of runners run the course past the palaces for the half marathon and several hundred repeat the course to complete the full marathon.

Notable people

;18th century Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck LM FWzeK

*Abraham Abramson (1754–1811), medalist *Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg (1759–1830), Prussian field marshal *Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835), scholar and statesman, founder of the Berlin Humboldt University *Frederick William III of Prussia (1770–1840), King of Prussia 1797–1840 *Wilhelm Ludwig Viktor Henckel von Donnersmarck (1775–1849), Prussian general lieutenant *Eleonore Prochaska (1785–1813), woman soldier during the liberation war, unrecognized as a man disguised as a drummer, later as an infantryman in the Prussian army against Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoleon *Friedrich Wilhelm von Rauch (1790–1850), Friedrich Wilhelm von Rauch (1790–1850), lieutenant general in the Prussian Army *Heinrich Wilhelm Krausnick (1797–1882), lawyer and Governing Mayor of Berlin, Lord Mayor of Berlin ;19th century Kaiser Friedrich III Porträt

*Moritz Hermann von Jacobi (1801–1874), physicist and engineer *Ludwig Persius (1803–1845), architect *Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi (1804–1851), mathematician *Adolf von Rauch (1805–1877), Adolf von Rauch (1805–1877), Prussian cavalry officer *Philipp Galen (1813–1899), writer and physician *Julius Lange (numismatist), Julius Lange (1815–1905), numismatist *Hermann von Helmholtz (1821–1894), physiologist and physicist, one of the most important natural scientists of his time *Alfred Bonaventura von Rauch (1824–1900), Prussian general *Friedrich Wilhelm von Rauch (1827–1907), Friedrich Wilhelm von Rauch (1827–1907), Prussian general leutnant *Egmont von Rauch (1829–1875), Prussian cavalry officer and later colonel in the Prussian Army *Frederick III, German Emperor (1831–1888), Emperor of the German Empire and King of Prussia 1888 *Alfred von Waldersee (1832–1904), field marshal *Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), zoologist, philosopher *Gottlieb Graf von Haeseler (1836–1919), Prussian field marshal *Hermann Schubert (1848–1911), mathematician *Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941), Emperor of the German Empire and King of Prussia 1888–1918 *Friedrich Adolf Steinhausen (1859−1910), doctor and physiologist *Friedrich Wilhelm von Rauch (1868–1899), Friedrich Wilhelm von Rauch (1868–1899), Prussian officer *Friedrich Ludwig (musicologist), Friedrich Ludwig (1872–1930), music historian and rector of the University of Göttingen * Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1976-143-21, Hasso von Manteuffel

Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1976-143-21, Hasso von Manteuffel

Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing (1873–1956), egyptologist *Elisabeth von Knobelsdorff (1877–1959), engineer and architect *Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia (1883–1942), second son of King William II of Prussia *Ludowika Jakobsson (1884–1968), German-Finnish figure skater *Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg (1886–1974), general of tank troops and military attachée *Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (1892-1955), general *Paul Blobel (1894–1951), Nazi war criminal, hanged for war crimes *Hasso von Manteuffel (1897-1978) General in the Wehrmacht, and later spokesman for defense of the Free Democratic Party of Germany, Free Democratic Party in the Bundestag ;20th century *Margarete Buber-Neumann (1901–1989), writer *Egon Eiermann (1904–1970), architect *Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1907–1994), German and Prussian heir to the throne and head of the House of Hohenzollern *Princess Marie Eleonore of Albania, Marie Eleonore of Albania (1909–1957), princess *Adam von Trott zu Solz (1909–1944), lawyer, diplomat and resistance fighter *Carol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania, Carol Victor (1913–1973), Hereditary Prince of Albania *Peter Weiss (1916–1982), writer, graphic artist and painter *Hans Richter (actor), Hans Richter (1919–2008), actor *Bernhard Hassenstein (1922–2016), biologist and behaviorist *Burkhard Heim (1925–2001), theoretical physicist *Günther Schramm (born 1929), actor *Bernd and Hilla Becher, Hilla Becher (1934–2015), photographer *Nicole Heesters (born 1937), actress *Manfred Wolke (born 1943), boxer and boxing coach *Klaus Katzur (1943–2016), swimmer and Olympic medalist *Wolfgang Joop (born 1944), fashion designer *Oliver Bendt (born 1946), actor, gymnast, singer *Christiane Lanzke (born 1947), diver and actress *Lothar Doering (born 1950), handball player and coach *Brigitte Ahrenholz (born 1952), rower *Matthias Platzeck (born 1953), politician, Minister President of Brandenburg *Klaus Thiele (born 1958), athlete *Gabriele Berg (born 1963), biologist and biotechnologist *Ralf Brudel (born 1963), rower *Jens-Peter Berndt (born 1963), swimmer *Birgit Peter (born 1964), rower *Carsten Wolf (born 1964), cyclist, world champion *Daniela Neunast (born 1966), steward in rowing *René Monse (born 1968), heavyweight boxer *Klara Geywitz (born 1976), politician *Aleksandr Sayenko (born 1978), footballer ;20th century *Ermyas Mulugeta, assaulted in a nationally significant case

Honorary citizens

* 1845: Wilhelm Ludwig Viktor Henckel von Donnersmarck, Lieutenant General * 1856: Friedrich von Wrangel, Field Marshal * 1863: Peter Joseph Lenné, gardener and landscape architect * 1891: Hermann von Helmholtz, naturalist * 1905: Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, president of the province of Brandenburg * 1933: Paul von Hindenburg, Fieldmarshal and Reichspräsident * 1933: ''Adolf Hitler'', chancellor (withdrawn 15 August 1990 by decision of the Potsdam City Council) * 1938: Josef Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda * 1955: Max Volmer, physical chemist * 1960: Hans Marchwitza, writer and proletarian poet * 1965: Otto Nagel, painter

References

Sources

* Paul Sigel, Silke Dähmlow, Frank Seehausen und Lucas Elmenhorst, Architekturführer Potsdam Architectural Guide, Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 2006, .

External links

* an
English
{{Authority control Potsdam, Cities in Brandenburg German state capitals Populated places established in the 7th century 7th-century establishments in Germany