Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

. It is part of the

Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region The Berlin/Brandenburg metropolitan region () or capital region () is one of eleven metropolitan regions of Germany, consisting of the entire territories of the state of Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg. The region covers an area o ...

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

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...

, 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 Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

origin. Potsdam was a residence of the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n kings and the

German Emperor The German Emperor (, ) was the official title of the head of state and Hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the abdicati ...

until 1918. Its planning embodied ideas of the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...

: 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 1,000 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 () 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", King Friedrich Wilhelm IV ...

, the New Palace,

Cecilienhof Palace Cecilienhof Palace () 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 the Kingdom of Prussia and t ...

, and

Charlottenhof Palace Charlottenhof Palace or Charlottenhof Manor () 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 William (later King Frederic ...

. Potsdam was also the location of the significant Potsdam Conference 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 of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palaces and Park ...

, 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 (, ) on 9 November in German history, 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, marked the beginning of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain, as East Berlin transit restrictions we ...

. The Filmstudio Babelsberg, 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, northeastern Germany. The university is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace o ...

, and more than 30

research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...

s in the city.

Geography

The area was formed from a series of large

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), 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 gla ...

s 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 Havel () is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the States of Germany, states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. The long Havel is a right tributary of the Elbe. However, the direct distance from ...

, 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to th ...

, Jungfernsee, 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 '' 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 ''Ortsteile'' – 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 Klein Glienicke (literally ''Little Glienicke'') was an independent village and is now part of Potsdam. It lies on the south-western part of Berlin's Wannsee Hamlet (place), Hamlet. In the center of the original village is the building Jagdschlos ...

** 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 ** 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 (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''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 cold ...

(''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 borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. 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 . The Potsdam weather station has recorded the following extreme values: * Its highest temperature was on 20 July 2022. * Its lowest temperature was on 11 February 1929. * Its greatest annual precipitation was in 2007. * Its least annual precipitation was in 2018. * The longest annual sunshine was 2,246.7 hours in 2018. * The shortest annual sunshine was 1,355.3 hours in 1903.

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

History

Pre- and early history

The area around Potsdam shows signs of occupancy since the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and was part of ''

Magna Germania Germania ( ; ), also more specifically called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superi ...

'' 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. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

. 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 the ...

of the Germanic peoples,

Slav The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and N ...

s moved in and Potsdam was probably founded after the 7th century as a settlement of the

Hevelli The Hevelli or Hevellians/ Navellasîni (sometimes ''Havolane''; or ''Stodoranen''; or ''Stodoranie''; or ''Stodorané'') were a tribe of the Polabian Slavs, who settled around the middle Havel river in the present-day Havelland region of Bra ...

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 the Holy Roman emperor and King of Italy from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was cr ...

gifted the territory to the

Quedlinburg Abbey Quedlinburg Abbey ( or ) is a former abbey of secular canonesses ''( Frauenstift)'' in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Matilda, the widow of the East Frankish King Henry the Fowler, as h ...

, then led by his aunt

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Mathilda (gastropod), ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae * Matilda (horse) (1824–1 ...

. 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 rura ...

of 2,000 inhabitants.

Early modern era

Potsdam lost nearly half of its population due to the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

(1618–1648). A continuous

Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. ...

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 t ...

, the core of the powerful state that later became the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

. It also housed

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

. After the

Edict of Potsdam The Edict of 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 Fontainebleau. It encouraged ...

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

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s),

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. 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 (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

. One of these is the

Sanssouci Palace 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 ...

(French: "without cares" or "no concern", 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, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

interiors. Other royal residences include the New Palace and the

Orangery An orangery or orangerie is a room or dedicated building, historically where orange and other fruit trees are protected during the winter, as a large form of greenhouse or conservatory. In the modern day an orangery could refer to either ...

. In 1815, at the formation of the

Province of Brandenburg The Province of Brandenburg () was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1947. Brandenburg was established in 1815 from the Kingdom of Prussia's core territory, comprised the bulk of the historic Margraviate of Brandenburg (excluding Altmark) and ...

, 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) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...

Governorate of Potsdam

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

Regierungsbezirk A ' (, 'governmental district') is a type of administrative division in Germany. Currently, four of sixteen ' (states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts ' (plural, ) serve as regional mid-level local gov ...

'' encompassed the former districts of

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

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

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) 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, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

and the Province of Pomerania on the north, and the

Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (), also known as Prussian Saxony (), was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merger of various territories ceded ...

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 Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

. 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 A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

, 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 ado ...

, Potsdam,

Prenzlau Prenzlau (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, in north-eastern 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 Berlin. ...

Spandau Spandau () is the westernmost of the 12 boroughs of Berlin, boroughs () of Berlin, situated at the confluence (geography), confluence of the Havel and Spree (river), Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of the Havel. It is the smalle ...

and Ruppin. 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 Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...

Lichtenberg Lichtenberg may refer to: Places * Lichtenberg, Austria * Lichtenberg, Bas-Rhin, France * Lichtenberg, Bavaria, Germany * Lichtenberg, Berlin, Germany * Lichtenberg, Mittelsachsen, Saxony, Germany * Lichtenberg (Lausitz), Saxony, Germany * Lichte ...

, 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 Te ...

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

Greater Berlin The Greater Berlin Act (), officially Law Regarding the Creation of the New Municipality of Berlin (), was a law passed by the Prussian state government in 1920, which greatly expanded the size of the Prussian and German capital of Berlin. Hist ...

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 of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

was the capital of

and later of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

, but the court remained in Potsdam, where many government officials settled. In 1914, Emperor

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

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 A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

at the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...

and the new

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

on 21 March 1933 in Potsdam's Garrison Church in what became known as the "

Day of Potsdam Potsdam Day, also known as the Tag von Potsdam or Potsdam Celebration, was a ceremony for the re-opening of the Reichstag following the Reichstag fire, held on 21 March 1933, shortly after that month's German federal election. Selection of si ...

". This symbolised a coalition of the military (''

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

'') and

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

. Potsdam was severely damaged by Allied bombing raids during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The

was the scene of the Potsdam Conference from 17 July to 2 August 1945, at which the victorious Allied leaders

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

met to decide the future of Germany and postwar Europe in general. The conference ended with the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...

and the

Potsdam Declaration The Potsdam Declaration, or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S. Truman, ...

. The government of

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(formally known as the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(German: ''Deutsche Demokratische Republik'', DDR)) tried to remove symbols of "Prussian

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

". 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 East German administrative districts known as ''Bezirke''. Potsdam became the capital of the new ''

Bezirk Potsdam The Bezirk Potsdam was a district (''Bezirk'') of East Germany. The administrative seat and the main town was Potsdam. History The district was established, with the other 13, on 25 July 1952, substituting the old German states. After 3 October ...

'' until 1990. Potsdam, south-west of Berlin, lay just outside

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

after the construction of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

. The walling off of West Berlin not only isolated Potsdam from West Berlin, but also doubled commuting times to

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

. The

Glienicke Bridge The Glienicke Bridge (, ) is a bridge across the Havel River in Germany, connecting the Wannsee district of Berlin with the Brandenburg capital Potsdam. It is named after nearby Glienicke Palace. The current bridge, the fourth on the site, was ...

across the Havel connected the city to West Berlin and was the scene of some

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

exchanges of

spies Spies most commonly refers to people who engage in spying, espionage or clandestine operations. Spies or The Spies may also refer to: Arts and media Films * ''Spies'' (1928 film), English title for ''Spione'', a 1928 German film by Fritz Lan ...

. After

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, 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 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 A national census in Germany (, ) was held every five years from 1875 to 1910. After the World Wars, only a few full population censuses have been held, the last in 1987. The most recent census, though not a national census, was the 2011 Europea ...

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 In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

(''Bürgermeister'') and

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

since the 15th century. From 1809 the city council was elected, with a mayor (''Oberbürgermeister'') at its head. During

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, the mayor was selected by the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

and the city council was dissolved; it was reconstituted in token form after 1945, but free elections did not take place until after

reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller politics or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal govern ...

. 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. The current mayor is Mike Schubert of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(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,

, 23,872 , 32.2 , 28,803 , 55.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Martina Trauth , align=left, The Left , 14,161 , 19.1 , 23,283 , 44.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Götz Friederich , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 12,892 , 17.4 , - , bgcolor=127070, , align=left, Lutz Boede , align=left, The Others , 8,449 , 11.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Dennis Hohloch , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

, 8,215 , 11.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Janny Armbruster , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

, 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
The city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 57,258 , 19.4 , 0.1 , 11 , 0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 43,494 , 14.7 , 2.3 , 8 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Grüne) , 42,804 , 14.5 , 4.3 , 8 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , 40,321 , 13.7 , 4.2 , 8 , 3 , - , bgcolor=127070, , align=left, The Others (aNDERE) , 29,973 , 10.2 , 0.2 , 6 , 0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 25,778 , 8.7 , 9.3 , 5 , 5 , - , , align=left, Citizens' Alliance Free Voters (BfW) , 16,167 , 5.5 , New , 3 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 13,155 , 4.5 , 0.4 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Brandenburg Free Voters (BVB/FW) , 8,686 , 2.9 , 1.8 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazine ...

, 7,837 , 2.7 , 1.1 , 1 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Volt Germany Volt Germany (, mostly known by the abbreviated name Volt) is a social-liberal pro-European, eurofederalist political party in Germany. It is the German branch of Volt Europa, a political movement that operates on a European level. Italian A ...

(Volt) , 5,503 , 1.9 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, Potsdam Centre (Mitten) , 3,559 , 1.2 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Independent Witzsche , 485 , 0.2 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 295,020 ! 100.0 ! ! 56 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Invalid ballots ! 1,665 ! 1.7 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ballots ! 100,728 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 143,118 ! 70.4 ! 8.1 ! ! , - , 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 Potsdam City Palace since 2014.

Twin towns – sister cities

Potsdam is twinned with: *

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

, Poland (1973) *

Bobigny Bobigny () is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Bobigny is the prefecture (capital city) of the Seine-Saint-Denis department, as well as the seat of the ...

, France (1974) *

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Central Finland. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Jyväskylä is approximately , while the Jyväskylä sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately ...

, Finland (1985) *

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

, Germany (1988) *

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

, Italy (1990) *

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...

, United States (1990) *

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

, Switzerland (2002) *

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, France (2016) *

Zanzibar City Zanzibar City or Mjini District, often simply referred to as Zanzibar (''Wilaya ya Zanzibar Mjini'' or ''Jiji la Zanzibar'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of two administrative districts of Mjini Magharibi Region in Tanzania. The district co ...

, Tanzania (2017) *

Ivano-Frankivsk Ivano-Frankivsk (, ), formerly Stanyslaviv, Stanislav and Stanisławów, is a city in western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast as well as Ivano-Frankivsk Raion within the oblast. Ivano-Frankivsk also host ...

, Ukraine (2023)

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 ''

S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...

'' line. The stations served are

and the

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

(''Hauptbahnhof''), the main and long-distance station of the city. Other DB stations in Potsdam are Charlottenhof, Park Sanssouci (including the monumental '' Kaiserbahnhof''), Medienstadt Babelsberg, Rehbrücke, Pirschheide and Marquardt. The city also possesses a 27 km-long tramway network.

Road transport

Potsdam is served by several

motorways A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

: the A 10, a beltway better known as ''Berliner Ring'', the A 115 (using part of the

AVUS The ('Automobile traffic and training road'), known as AVUS (), is a public road in Berlin, Germany. Opened in 1921, it was also used as a motor racing circuit until 1998. Today, the AVUS forms the northern part of the Bundesautobahn 115. C ...

) and is closely linked to the A 2 and A 9. The B 1 and B 2 federal roads cross the city. Potsdam features a network of urban and suburban buses.

Airports

Potsdam is connected to national and international air traffic via

Berlin Brandenburg Airport Berlin Brandenburg Airport () () is an international airport in Schönefeld, just south of the Germany, German capital and state of Berlin, in the state of Brandenburg. Named after the former Mayor of West Berlin, West Berlin mayor and Chance ...

(BER), which is around 40 kilometers to the east.

Education and research

Potsdam is a

university town A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

. 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 Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; ; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar republic, Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later in the early development ...

"'', a

college of education In the United States and Canada, a school of education (or college of education; ed school) is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences e ...

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 The ''Fachhochschule Potsdam'' is a University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam, the capital of the German federal state of Brandenburg. It was founded in 1991 and teaching began in the 1991/92 winter semester. History After the state of Branden ...

'' was founded as the second college. It had 3,518 students as of 2017.

Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg The Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg (German: ''Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf'') is the oldest and largest film school in Germany. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, as well as post-graduate studies in all fields o ...

(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 Institute The Fraunhofer Society () is a German publicly-owned research organization with 76institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science (as opposed to the Max Planck Society, which works primarily on basic sc ...

s for Applied Polymer Research and Biomedical Engineering,

Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) is a Max Planck Institute whose research is aimed at investigating Einstein's theory of relativity and beyond: Mathematics, quantum gravity, astrophysical relativity ...

(''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 Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. As well as universities, Potsdam is home to reputable

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

Montessori Gesamtschule Potsdam Montessori Oberschule Potsdam, located at Schlüterstraße 2 D-14471 in west Potsdam, Germany, is a Montessori method, Montessori school. It is a public school integrated with a two-year high school (''Gymnasium'') that follows the Montessori meth ...

, 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 Sanssouci Park is a large park surrounding Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany, built under Frederick the Great in the mid-18th century. Following the terracing of the vineyard and the completion of the palace, the surroundings were included in t ...

, west of the city centre. In 1744 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 A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

( Botanical Garden, Potsdam) and many buildings: * The

(''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 The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, in which Prussia held off the combined attacks of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

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 palace by

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...

built in 1826 * The

Roman Baths In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...

(''Römische Bäder''), built by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and

Friedrich Ludwig Persius Friedrich Ludwig Persius (15 February 1803 in Potsdam – 12 July 1845 in Potsdam) was a Prussian architect and a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Persius assisted Schinkel with, among others, the building of the Charlottenhof Palace an ...

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 Tea House (''Chinesisches Teehaus''), an 18th-century pavilion built in a

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

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 Nauener Tor (Nauen Gate) is one of the three preserved gates of Potsdam, Germany. It was built in 1755 and is the first example of the influence of English Gothic Revival architecture in Continental Europe. History The first Nauener Tor was buil ...

was built in 1755 and close to the historic Dutch Quarter. The ornate

Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...

(built in 1770, not to be confused with the

in Berlin) is situated on the Luisenplatz at the western entrance to the old town. Nikolaikirche mit Tympanon

The Old Market Square (''Alter Markt'') is Potsdam's historical city centre. For three centuries this was the site of the 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 Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

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 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 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, 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 Friedrich August Stüler (28 January 1800 – 18 March 1865) was an influential Prussian architect and builder. His masterpiece is the Neues Museum in Berlin, as well as the dome of the triumphal arch of the main portal of the Berliner Schloss. ...

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 An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

bearing the world on his shoulders. 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 Hasso Plattner (born 21 January 1944) is a German businessman who is the co-founder of SAP SE software company. From 2003 to 2024, he served as the chairman of the company's supervisory board. As of August 2020, ''Forbes'' reported that he posses ...

. The former

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

building was built by Carl von Gontard in 1771–1772, inspired by the Renaissance palace

Palazzo Barberini The Palazzo Barberini () is a 17th-century palace in Rome, facing the Piazza Barberini in Rione Trevi. Today, it houses the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, the main national collection of older paintings in Rome. History Around 1549 Cardinal ...

in Rome. The newly built museum was scheduled to open in spring 2017. The Garrison Church contains a

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

chapel, an exhibition about the history of the place and a viewing platform at a height of 57 meters. Another landmark of Potsdam is the two-street

Dutch Quarter The Dutch Quarter (''Holländisches Viertel'') is a neighborhood in Potsdam, consisting of 134 red Dutch brick buildings, almost all of which have been renovated. It was built from 1733 to 1740 and designed by Jan Bouman following the order o ...

(''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 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

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

chapel) built in 1825 for a group of Russian immigrants. Since 1999, the colony has been part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin () are a group of palace complexes and extended landscaped gardens located in the Havelland region around Potsdam and the German capital of Berlin. The term was used upon the designation of the cultural ensem ...

. East of the Alexandrowka colony is a large park, the New Garden (''Neuer Garten''), which was laid out from 1786 in the English style. The site contains two palaces; one of them, the

Cecilienhof Cecilienhof Palace () 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 the Kingdom of Prussia and t ...

, was where the Potsdam Conference was held in July and August 1945. The ''

Marmorpalais The Marmorpalais (or Marble Palace) is a former royal residence in Potsdam, near Berlin in Germany, built on the grounds of the extensive Neuer Garten on the shores of the Heiliger See. The palace was commissioned by King Frederick William II of ...

'' (Marble Palace) was built in 1789 in Neoclassical style. Nearby is the '' Biosphäre Potsdam'', a tropical

, a quarter south-east of the centre, houses the UFA film studios (

Babelsberg Studios Babelsberg Film Studio () (also known as Studio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world, producing films since 1912. With a total area of about and a studio area of a ...

), and an extensive

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

with some historical buildings, including the

Babelsberg Palace Babelsberg Palace () lies in the eponymous park and quarter of Potsdam, the capital of the German state of Brandenburg, near Berlin. For over 50 years it was the summer residence of Prince William, later German Emperor William I and King of Pruss ...

(Schloß Babelsberg, a

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

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 The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

prison in Leistikowstraße. In the Volkspark to the north, there is one of the last monuments dedicated to Lenin in Germany. Potsdam joined

's 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 in

Hunting Lodge Glienicke 2.jpg, Glienicke Hunting Lodge, as seen from

Babelsberg Park Babelsberg Park () is a 114 hectare park in the northeast of the city of Potsdam, bordering on the ''Tiefen See'' lake on the River Havel. The park was first designed by the landscape artist Peter Joseph Lenné and, after him, by Prince Herma ...

2020-09-23 Potsdam 1DX 1634 by Stepro.jpg, The

in New Garden Orangerie Schloss Spielstätte.JPG,

: the

Potsdam BelvedereKlausberg1.jpg, The

Belvedere auf dem Klausberg The Belvedere auf dem Klausberg is a building in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany erected in 1770–72 using Georg Christian Unger's plans. Architecture Georg Christian Unger based his plans on a drawing by the Italian archeologist Francesco ...

Schloss Babelsberg 3.jpg,

Sports

1. FFC Turbine Potsdam 1. Frauenfußballclub Turbine Potsdam 71 e. V., commonly known as 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam (or Turbine Potsdam outside of Germany), is a German women's football club located in Potsdam, Brandenburg. They are one of the most successful women's footb ...

, one of the most successful German female football clubs (

Bundesliga (women) The Frauen-Bundesliga (German for ''Women's Federal League''), currently known as the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of league competition for women's association football in Germany. In the UEFA Women' ...

)
Potsdam Royals
American football team competing in the

German Football League The German Football League (GFL) is a professional American football league in Germany. The league was formed in 1979. In 1999, the league changed to its current name from American-Football-Bundesliga.

. *

SV Babelsberg 03 SV Babelsberg 03 is a football in Germany, German association football club based in Potsdam-Potsdam-Babelsberg, Babelsberg, on the outskirts of Berlin. The team was founded as ''Sport-Club Jugendkraft 1903'' and again as ''SG Karl-Marx Babelsbe ...

, football club

Regionalliga Nordost The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football league system, German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany ...

* * USV Potsdam,

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

(

2nd Rugby-Bundesliga The 2. Rugby-Bundesliga is the second-highest level of Germany's Rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation. Its set below the Rugby-Bundesliga, the top-tier of German rugby, and above the Rugby-Regionalliga, the third ti ...

) and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

(

Kreisklasse The Kreisliga (), along with the ''Kreisoberliga'' () and the ''Kreisklasse'' (), are the lowest set of divisions in the German football league system, set at step 8 and below. Structure Whereas the top amateur divisions are organised by the 21 ...

) * List of football clubs in Potsdam * The (''Potsdam Palace Marathon'') is a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

in that is held annually in June. Thousands of runners run the course past the palaces for the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

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 Johann David Ludwig Graf Yorck von Wartenburg (born von Yorck; 26 September 1759 – 4 October 1830) was a Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' instrumental in the Kingdom of Prussia ending an alliance with France to form one with Russia during ...

(1759–1830), Prussian field marshal *

Wilhelm von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a German philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin. In 1949, the university was named aft ...

(1767–1835), scholar and statesman, founder of the Berlin

Humboldt University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public university, public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III of Prussia, Frederick W ...

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, when the empire was dissolved ...

(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 Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

, unrecognized as a man disguised as a drummer, later as an infantryman in the Prussian army against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

* Friedrich Wilhelm von Rauch (1790–1850), lieutenant general in the Prussian Army * Heinrich Wilhelm Krausnick (1797–1882), lawyer and Lord Mayor of Berlin 19th century
* Moritz Hermann von Jacobi (1801–1874), physicist and engineer *

Ludwig Persius Friedrich Ludwig Persius (15 February 1803 in Potsdam – 12 July 1845 in Potsdam) was a Prussian architect and a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Persius assisted Schinkel with, among others, the building of the Charlottenhof Palace an ...

(1803–1845), architect *

Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi (; ; 10 December 1804 – 18 February 1851) was a German mathematician who made fundamental contributions to elliptic functions, dynamics, differential equations, determinants and number theory. Biography Jacobi was ...

(1804–1851), mathematician * Adolf von Rauch (1805–1877), Prussian cavalry officer * Philipp Galen (1813–1899), writer and physician * Julius Lange (1815–1905), numismatist *

Hermann von Helmholtz Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (; ; 31 August 1821 – 8 September 1894; "von" since 1883) was a German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields, particularly hydrodynamic stability. The ...

(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), Prussian general leutnant * Egmont von Rauch (1829–1875), Prussian cavalry officer and later colonel in the Prussian Army *

Frederick III, German Emperor Frederick III (Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl; 18 October 183115 June 1888), or Friedrich III, was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days between March and his death in June 1888, during the Year of the Three Emperors. Known informal ...

(1831–1888), Emperor of the German Empire and King of Prussia 1888 *

Alfred von Waldersee Alfred Heinrich Karl Ludwig Graf von Waldersee (8 April 18325 March 1904) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) who served as Chief of the Imperial German General Staff and Commander of the International Relief Force during the ...

(1832–1904), field marshal *

Ernst Haeckel Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; ; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, natural history, naturalist, eugenics, eugenicist, Philosophy, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biology, marine biologist and artist ...

(1834–1919), zoologist, philosopher *

Gottlieb Graf von Haeseler Gottlieb Ferdinand Albert Alexis Graf von Haeseler (January 19, 1836 – October 25, 1919) was a German military officer of the Imperial Wilhelmine period, with final military rank, rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall''. Biography Haeseler was bor ...

(1836–1919), Prussian field marshal *

Hermann Schubert __NOTOC__ Hermann Cäsar Hannibal Schubert (22 May 1848 – 20 July 1911) was a German mathematician. Schubert was one of the leading developers of enumerative geometry, which considers those parts of algebraic geometry that involve a finite nu ...

(1848–1911), mathematician * Castor Watt (1858-1932), German actor, humorist, imitator and internationally known quick-change artist *

Wilhelm II, German Emperor Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

(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), Prussian officer * Friedrich Ludwig (1872–1930), music historian and rector of the University of Göttingen * Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing (1873–1956), egyptologist * Elisabeth von Knobelsdorff (1877–1959), engineer and architect *

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (7 July 1883 – 8 December 1942) was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was bo ...

(1883–1942), second son of King William II of Prussia *

Ludowika Jakobsson Ludovika Antje Margareta Jakobsson-Eilers (née Eilers, 25 July 1884 – 1 November 1968) was a German-Finnish figure skater. Competing in pair skating with her husband Walter Jakobsson, she won the gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics, where ...

(1884–1968), German-Finnish figure skater *

Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg Leo Dietrich Franz Reichsfreiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (2 March 1886 – 27 January 1974) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II, noted for his pioneering stance and expertise in the field of armoured warfare. He commanded th ...

(1886–1974), general of tank troops and military attachée * Luise Schulze-Berghof (1889–1970), German composer and pianist *

Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (10 July 1892 – 5 January 1955) was a German general who commanded the 15th Panzer Division in the Afrika Korps. Esebeck had knowledge of and was sympathetic to the anti-Hitler conspiracy in the military. He was ...

(1892–1955), general *

Paul Blobel Paul Blobel (13 August 1894 – 7 June 1951) was a German ''Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD) commander and convicted war criminal who played a leading role in the Holocaust. He organised the Babi Yar massacre, the largest massacre of the Second Wor ...

(1894–1951), Nazi war criminal, hanged for war crimes *

Hasso von Manteuffel Hasso Eccard Freiherr von Manteuffel (14 January 1897 – 24 September 1978) was a German baron born to the Prussian noble Manteuffel, von Manteuffel family and was a general during World War II who commanded the 5th Panzer Army. He was a recip ...

(1897–1978), General in the Wehrmacht, and later spokesman for defense of the Free Democratic Party in the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

20th century
* Margarete Buber-Neumann (1901–1989), writer *

Egon Eiermann Egon Eiermann (29 September 1904 – 19 July 1970) was one of Germany's most prominent architects in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a furniture designer. From 1947, he was Professor for architecture at Technische Hochschule Kar ...

(1904–1970), architect * Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (1907–1994), German and Prussian heir to the throne and head of the

House of Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, ; , ; ) is a formerly royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) German dynasty whose members were variously princes, Prince-elector, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern Castle, Hohenzollern, Margraviate of Bran ...

* Marie Eleonore of Albania (1909–1957), princess *

Adam von Trott zu Solz Friedrich Adam von Trott zu Solz (9 August 1909 – 26 August 1944) was a German lawyer and diplomat who was involved in the conservative resistance to Nazism. A declared opponent of the Nazi regime from the beginning, he actively participated in ...

(1909–1944), lawyer, diplomat and resistance fighter * Carol Victor (1913–1973), Hereditary Prince of Albania *

Peter Weiss Peter Ulrich Weiss (8 November 1916 – 10 May 1982) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist, and experimental filmmaker of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays ''Marat/Sade'' and '' The Investigation'' and h ...

(1916–1982), writer, graphic artist and painter * Hans Richter (1919–2008), actor * Bernhard Hassenstein (1922–2016), biologist and behaviorist * Burkhard Heim (1925–2001), theoretical physicist * Günther Schramm (born 1929), actor *

Hilla Becher Hilla Becher (; 2 September 1934 – 10 October 2015) was a German conceptual photographer. Becher was well known for her industrial photographs, or typologies, with longtime collaborator and husband, Bernd Becher. Her career spanned more than ...

(1934–2015), photographer *

Nicole Heesters Nicole Heesters (born 14 February 1937) is a German actress. She was born in Potsdam and comes from a family of actors; her parents are Johannes Heesters, a Dutch-German actor, and Louisa Ghijs, a Belgian stage actress. Her husband was film ...

(born 1937), actress *

Klaus Katzur Klaus Katzur (26 August 1943 – 4 September 2016) was a German swimmer who competed in the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Summer Olympics. In 1972, he won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay and finished eighth in the 200 metre breaststr ...

(1943–2016), swimmer and Olympic medalist * Sabine Uecker (born 1943), politician * Manfred Wolke (born 1943), boxer and boxing coach * Wolfgang Joop (born 1944), fashion designer *

Oliver Bendt Oliver Bendt (born Jörg Knoch on 29 October 1946 in Potsdam) is a German singer and actor. Knoch grew up the son of an actress in Munich, where he played children's roles in several films, including ''Königswalzer (1955 film), Königswalzer ...

(born 1946), actor, gymnast, singer * Christiane Lanzke (born 1947), diver and actress *

Lothar Doering Lothar Doering (born 23 October 1950 in Potsdam) is a former East Germany, East German Team handball, handball player who competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the East German handball team which won the gold medal. He pl ...

(born 1950), handball player and coach * Brigitte Ahrenholz (born 1952), rower *

Matthias Platzeck Matthias Platzeck (born 29 December 1953) is a German politician. He was Minister-President, Minister President of Brandenburg from 2002 to 2013 and party chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD from November 2005 to April 2006. ...

(born 1953), politician, Minister President of Brandenburg * Klaus Thiele (born 1958), athlete *

Gabriele Berg Gabriele Berg (born 1963) is a biologist, biotechnologist and university lecturer in Environmental and Ecological Technology at the Technical University of Graz. Her research emphasis is on the development of sustainable methods of plant vitalisa ...

(born 1963), biologist and biotechnologist * Jens-Peter Berndt (born 1963), swimmer *

Ralf Brudel Ralf Brudel (born 6 February 1963 in Potsdam) is a retired German rower who won a gold medal in 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He was a member of the East Germany national team. In 1990 he tried to settle in Austria, but after the ...

(born 1963), rower *

Birgit Peter Birgit Peter (born 27 January 1964) is a German rower and double Olympic gold medalist. Life and career Peter was born in Potsdam, East Germany. She competed for the SG Dynamo Potsdam / Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo, and she won medals at var ...

(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 Klara Geywitz (; born 18 February 1976) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). She served as Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building in the Scholz cabinet from 2021 to 2025. She served as m ...

(born 1976), politician * Aleksandr Sayenko (born 1978), footballer 21st century
* Margarita Kolosov, rhythmic gymnast and 2024 Olympian *

Melissa Kössler Klara Melissa Kössler (born 4 March 2000) is a German association football, football player who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Frauen-Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (women), TSG Hoffenheim and the Germany women's na ...

(born 2000), footballer for the Germany national team * 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 Peter Joseph Lenné (the Younger) (29 September 1789 – 23 January 1866) was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 1 ...

, gardener and landscape architect * 1891:

, naturalist * 1905:

Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg Theobald Theodor Friedrich Alfred von Bethmann Hollweg (29 November 1856 – 1 January 1921) was a German politician who was chancellor of the German Empire, imperial chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 to 1917. He oversaw the German entry ...

, president of the province of Brandenburg * 1933:

, Fieldmarshal and Reichspräsident (withdrawn 12 December 2021 by decision of the Potsdam City Council) * 1933: ''

'', chancellor (withdrawn 15 August 1990 by decision of the Potsdam City Council) * 1938: Josef Goebbels,

Minister of Propaganda A ministry of propaganda also known as agency, bureau or department of propaganda is the part of a government charged with generating and distributing propaganda. Though governments routinely engage in propaganda, ministries or departments with t ...

(withdrawn 3 November 2021 by decision of the Potsdam City Council) * 1955:

Max Volmer Max Volmer (; 3 May 1885 – 3 June 1965) was a German physical chemist, who made important contributions to materials science, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. Along with Weber, Volmer made early and pivotal contributions to the developme ...

, 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 Cities in Brandenburg German state capitals Populated places established in the 7th century 7th-century establishments in Germany Urban districts of Brandenburg

Geography

Subdivisions

Climate

Etymology

History

Pre- and early history

Early modern era

Governorate of Potsdam

20th century

Demography

International residents

Governance

City government

Brandenburg state government

Twin towns – sister cities

Infrastructure

Transport

Rail transport

Road transport

Airports

Education and research

Culture

Parks

Sports

Notable people

Honorary citizens

See also

References

Sources

External links