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Berlin and Potsdam: History Now!

Rita Cook Jul 10, 2008

When you only have a short amount of time in the Berlin and Potsdam area there are definitely some must-sees to make top priority on your agenda. While it might not seem like there is time to do it all, you can definitely hit the major hotspots and see a good portion of what the city has to offer. As most people will remember, Berlin was divided from 1961 until 1989 when the wall that separated the east from the west finally came down. Today, Berlin is the cosmopolitan capital of the reunited Germany and with that comes just about every lifestyle imaginable. Berlin regards itself as a city of knowledge and culture and has since the days of Friedrich the Great in the 18th century. Visiting the castles and palaces both in the city and on the outskirts are excellent ways to get a good idea of Berlin’s past and its future. With a population of 3.5 million people, Berlin has seen its fair share of political and cultural developments in the last few centuries. At the same time too, the city has also remained a cutting edge metropolis for architecture, fashion and art in Europe.

For your first stop, make it a visit to the baroque-style Charlottenburg Palace, once the largest palace in Berlin and owned by the Hohenzollern dynasty. These days the palace is a museum of both art and of history. In 1695–99 the central middle section with eleven window axes was built by Johann Arnold Nering and was used as a summer palace for the Electress Sophie Charlotte and named in her honor. Later, in the early 1700s the palace was enlarged and a Mausoleum was added in of 1810. See all of this and be sure and spend some time in the baroque gardens as well.

In addition to Charlottenburg Palace, one of Berlin’s top 10 sights, other options include the Berlin Cathedral, which is the largest 19^{th-century Protestant church boasting a Sauer church organ and the Hohenzollern family crypt; the Brandenburg Gate symbolizing Berlin’s reunification; the German Cathedral, which is home to the permanent exhibition "Questions on German History" and the East Side Gallery, which is the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall and the world’s longest open air gallery. Of course, the Olympic Stadium built for the 1936 Games, the Reichstag Parliament Building; Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church destroyed in 1943 and rebuilt; Berlin’s highest tower, the Fernsehturm am Alexanderplatz with a revolving restaurant and Victory Column are also on the top 10 list too.}

From a historical standpoint there are many memorials that visitors can visit from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe to the Berlin Wall Documentation Center, the Sachsenhausen Memorial and the House of Wannsee Conference-Memorial and Education Site.

Above all, don’t miss a drive by to see Checkpoint Charlie. The old wall is now only marked on the street with a line of bricks, but a copy of the booth and sign that once marked the border crossing was later erected where Checkpoint Charlie once stood. There is also a private museum worth visiting opened in 1963 and augmented with a new building in the 1990s. Finally, for a relaxing evening in Berlin have some dinner and take in one of the many cultural offerings; opera, symphony, a concert or just a theater revue. If its summer, there will be many festivals and open-air cinemas so take some time to enjoy life among the Berliners and remember too, in Berlin there is no closing time.

As for Potsdam, this little German town is best known for the signing of the Potsdam Treaty in 1945 by Truman, Churchill and Stalin, which divided Germany into four zones. Frederick the Great is also synonymous with Potsdam and his desire to cultivate plums, figs and wine there around the mid-1700s saw him designing terraced gardens in Sanssouci Park, he also made this his summer residence as well. A splendid place to visit, tourists will enjoy the New Palace with art and culture everywhere and outside there is the terrace and the flower and vegetable gardens. Today, you will also find Frederick II’s tomb on castle hill. The king also enjoyed lavish waterworks, which he really only enjoyed once in his fountains as the water system did not work correctly until after the 19th century.

The main attraction in Potsdam however, is the palaces and parks that take visitors back to the time when this town was the summer residence of the Prussian kings. In addition, there is also the historical districts in Potsdam; the Dutch quarter, the Russian colony of Alexandrovka and the exclusive residential area of Babelsberg.

The main building and the terrace of the Marble Palace in Potsdam's New Garden is a quick trip in which you can see how this palace rises above the banks of Heiliger See Lake and offers a panoramic view of the Havel River landscape reaching as far as Peacock Island. In fact, ^{Frederick William II chose this palace as his summer residence on the late 1700s, also serving as the residence for Emperor William (II) and his wife until the completion of Cecilienhof Palace in 1917. Of particular note is the English Wedgwood ceramics at this palace as well.}

Indeed, world heritage sites abound in both Berlin and Potsdam and history is around every corner. Whether it’s the 20th century or a period long before, this part of Germany definitely offers it all.

Where to Stay:

Brandenburger Hof Hotel

Eislebener Strasse 14

10789 Berlin

Tel. +49 30 214 050

^{www.brandenburger-hof.com}

Relexa Schlosshotel Cecilienhof Neuer Garten

14469 Potsdam

Tel. +49 331 37050

^{www.relexa-hotels.de}

Getting There:

The national airline of Germany is a must; Lufthansa

^{www.lufthansa.com}