Potsdam (German pronunciation:[ˈpɔtsdam]ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of theGermanstate ofBrandenburg. It is part of theBerlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on theRiver Havel, a tributary of theElbe, downstream of Berlin, and lies embedded in a hillymorainic landscape dotted with many lakes, around 20 of which are located within Potsdam's city limits. It lies some 25 kilometres (16 miles) southwest of Berlin's city centre. The name of the city and of many of its boroughs are ofSlavic origin.
Potsdam was a residence of thePrussian kings and theGerman Emperor until 1918. Its planning embodied ideas of theAge of Enlightenment: 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.[3]
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 ofSanssouci, Germany's largest World Heritage Site, as well as other palaces such as theOrangery Palace, theNew Palace,Cecilienhof Palace, andCharlottenhof Palace. Potsdam was also the location of the significantPotsdam 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, 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 thefall of the Berlin Wall. TheFilmstudio Babelsberg, founded in 1912, is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world.[4]
Potsdam developed into a centre of science in Germany in the 19th century. Today, there are three public colleges, theUniversity of Potsdam, and more than 30research institutes in the city.
The Havel flowing through Potsdam with view of Hermannswerder.
The area was formed from a series of largemoraines left after thelast glacial period. Today, only one quarter of the city is built up, the rest remaining as green space.
Potsdam is divided into seven historic cityStadtteile (quarters) and nine newOrtsteile (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 32Stadtteile (boroughs, both quarters and suburbs/wards together),[5] which are divided further into 84 statisticalBezirke (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 becomeOrtsteile – these are Eiche, Fahrland, Golm, Groß Glienicke, Grube, Marquardt, Neu Fahrland, Satzkorn and Uetz-Paaren.[6] The newOrtsteile are located mainly in the north of the city. For the history of all incorporations, see the relevant section on incorporation and spin-offs.
At the end of 2019, a change was made to the administrative structure:[7]
Borough 41 has been renamed: previouslyNördliche Innenstadt, nowHistorische 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 (formerlyWaldstadt I). The borough was then renamedWaldstadt I und Industriegelände.
Borough 67(Forst Potsdam Süd) was incorporated into borough 61(Templiner Vorstadt).
Officially the climate isoceanic - more degraded by being far from the coast and to the east (Köppen:Cfb),[9] but using the 1961–1990 normal and the 0 °C isotherm the city has ahumid continental climate (Dfb), which also shows a slight influence of the continent different from the climates predominantly influenced by theAtlantic Ocean. 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 theUHI of Potsdam.[10]
The average winter high temperature is 4.0 °C (39.2 °F), with a low of −1.3 °C (29.7 °F). Snow is common in the winter. Spring and autumn are short. Summers are mild, with a high of 24.3 °C (75.7 °F) and a low of 13.5 °C (56.3 °F).[11]
The Potsdam weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[12]
Its highest temperature was 38.9 °C (102.0 °F) on20 July 2022.
Its lowest temperature was −26.8 °C (−16.2 °F) on 11 February 1929.
Its greatest annual precipitation was 798.3 mm (31.43 in) in 2007.
Its least annual precipitation was 345.8 mm (13.61 in) in 2018.
The longest annual sunshine was 2,246.7 hours in 2018.
The shortest annual sunshine was 1,355.3 hours in 1903.
Climate data for Potsdam (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
The name "Potsdam" originally seems to have beenPoztupimi. A common theory is that it derives from an oldWest Slavonic term meaning "beneath the oaks",[13] i.e., the corruptedpod dubmi/dubimi (pod "beneath",dub "oak"). However, some question this explanation.[14]
The area around Potsdam shows signs of occupancy since theBronze Age and was part ofMagna Germania as described byTacitus. After thegreat migrations of the Germanic peoples,Slavs moved in and Potsdam was probably founded after the 7th century as a settlement of theHevelli tribe centred on a castle. It was first mentioned in a document in 993 asPoztupimi, whenEmperor Otto III gifted the territory to theQuedlinburg Abbey, then led by his auntMatilda.[14] By 1317, it was mentioned as a small town. It gained itstown charter in 1345. In 1573, it was still a smallmarket town of 2,000 inhabitants.
After theEdict of Potsdam in 1685, Potsdam became a centre of European immigration. Its religious freedom attracted people fromFrance (Huguenots),Russia, theNetherlands andBohemia. 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 ofFrederick the Great. One of these is theSanssouci Palace (French: "without cares" or "no concern", byGeorg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, 1744), famed for its formal gardens andRococo interiors. Other royal residences include theNew Palace and theOrangery.
In 1815, at the formation of theProvince of Brandenburg, Potsdam became the provincial capital until 1918, except for a period between 1827 and 1843 when Berlin was the provincial capital (as it became once again after 1918). The province comprised two governorates named after their capitals Potsdam andFrankfurt (Oder).
Between 1815 and 1945, the city of Potsdam served as capital of theRegierungsbezirk of Potsdam [de] (German:Regierungsbezirk Potsdam). TheRegierungsbezirk encompassed the former districts ofUckermark, the Mark of Priegnitz, and the greater part of theMiddle March. It was situated betweenMecklenburg and theProvince of Pomerania on the north, and theProvince of Saxony on the south and west (Berlin, with a small surrounding district, was an urban governorate and enclave within the governorate of Potsdam between 1815 and 1822, then it merged as urban district into the governorate only to be disentangled again from Potsdam governorate in 1875, becoming a distinct province-like entity on 1 April 1881). Towards the north west the governorate was bounded by the riversElbe and the Havel, and on the north east by theOder. 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 20,700 square kilometres (7,992 sq mi), divided into thirteen ruraldistricts, partially named after their capitals:[15]
Angermünde
Beeskow-Storkow (as of 1836)
East Havelland
East Prignitz
Jüterbog-Luckenwalde
Lower Barnim
Prenzlau
Ruppin
Teltow (as of 1836)
Teltow-Storkow (until 1835)
Templin
Upper Barnim
West Havelland
West Prignitz
Zauch-Belzig
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 wereBrandenburg upon Havel,Köpenick, Potsdam,Prenzlau,Spandau andRuppin.[15] 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 urbanBezirke within the governorate of Potsdam such asCharlottenburg,Lichtenberg,Rixdorf (after 1912 Neukölln), andSchöneberg (all of which, as well as Köpenick and Spandau, incorporated intoGreater Berlin in 1920). The urbanBezirke were (years indicating the elevation to rank of urbanBezirk or affiliation with Potsdam governorate, respectively):
Berlin was the capital ofPrussia and later of theGerman Empire, but the court remained in Potsdam, where many government officials settled. In 1914, EmperorWilhelm II signed the Declaration of War in theNeues Palais (New Palace). The city lost its status as a "second capital" in 1918, when Wilhelm II abdicated and Germany became aRepublic at the end ofWorld War I.
TheGlienicke Bridge, used for exchanging spies during the Cold War
The government ofEast Germany (formally known as theGerman Democratic Republic (German:Deutsche Demokratische Republik, DDR)) tried to remove symbols of "Prussianmilitarism". 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 theOder-Neiße line was constituted as the state ofBrandenburg, Potsdam became its capital. In 1952 the GDR disestablished its states and replaced them by smaller newEast German administrative districts known asBezirke. Potsdam became the capital of the newBezirk Potsdam until 1990.
Potsdam, south-west of Berlin, lay just outsideWest Berlin after the construction of theBerlin Wall. The walling off of West Berlin not only isolated Potsdam from West Berlin, but also doubled commuting times toEast Berlin. TheGlienicke Bridge across the Havel connected the city to West Berlin and was the scene of someCold War exchanges ofspies.
AfterGerman reunification, Potsdam became the capital of the newly re-established state ofBrandenburg. Since then there have been many ideas and efforts to reconstruct the original appearance of the city, including thePotsdam City Palace and theGarrison Church.
Since 2000 Potsdam has been one of the fastest-growing cities in Germany.[16]
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)
Recent Population Development and Projections (Population Development before Census 2011 (blue line); Recent Population Development according to theCensus in Germany in 2011 (blue bordered line); Official projections for 2005–2030 (yellow line); for 2017–2030 (scarlet line); for 2020–2030 (green line)
Potsdam: Population development within the current boundaries (2020)[17]
Potsdam has had amayor (Bürgermeister) andcity council since the 15th century. From 1809 the city council was elected, with a mayor (Oberbürgermeister) at its head. DuringNazi Germany, the mayor was selected by theNSDAP and the city council was dissolved; it was reconstituted in token form after 1945, but free elections did not take place until afterreunification.
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.
Results of the second round of the 2018 mayoral election.
The current mayor is Mike Schubert of theSocial Democratic Party (SPD) since 2018. The most recent mayoral election was held on 23 September 2018, with a runoff held on 14 October, and the results were as follows:
Potsdam is served by severalmotorways: theA 10, a beltway better known asBerliner Ring, theA 115 (using part of theAVUS) and is closely linked to theA 2 andA 9. TheB 1 andB 2federal roads cross the city. Potsdam features a network of urban and suburban buses.
Potsdam is auniversity town. TheUniversity of Potsdam was founded in 1991 as a university of the State of Brandenburg. Its predecessor was theAkademie für Staats- und Rechtswissenschaften der DDR "Walter Ulbricht", acollege of education founded in 1948 which was one of the GDR's most important colleges. There are about 20,000 students enrolled at the university.
There are also several research foundations, includingFraunhofer Institutes for Applied Polymer Research and Biomedical Engineering,Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, and Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, the GFZ –German Research Centre for Geosciences, the Potsdam Astrophysical Institute, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, which employs 340 people in researchingclimate change.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]
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 isSanssouci Park, 2 km (1 mi) west of the city centre. In 1744King Frederick the Great ordered the construction of a residence here, where he could livesans souci ("without worries", in the French spoken at the court). The park hosts abotanical garden (Botanical Garden, Potsdam) and many buildings:
TheSanssouci Palace (Schloss Sanssouci), a relatively modest palace of the Prussian royal (and later German imperial) family
TheOrangery Palace (Orangerieschloss), former palace for foreign royal guests
TheNew Palace (Neues Palais), built between 1763 and 1769 to celebrate the end of theSeven Years' War, in which Prussia held off the combined attacks ofAustria 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 ofUniversity of Potsdam.
TheRoman Baths (Römische Bäder), built by Karl Friedrich Schinkel andFriedrich Ludwig Persius in 1829–1840. It is a complex of buildings including a tea pavilion, a Renaissance-style villa, and a Roman bathhouse (from which the whole complex takes its name).
TheChinese Tea House (Chinesisches Teehaus), an 18th-century pavilion built in aChinese 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. TheNauener Tor was built in 1755 and close to the historic Dutch Quarter. The ornateBrandenburg Gate (built in 1770, not to be confused with theBrandenburg Gate in Berlin) is situated on the Luisenplatz at the western entrance to the old town.
TheOld Market Square (Alter Markt) is Potsdam's historical city centre. For three centuries this was the site of theCity Palace (Stadtschloß), a royal palace built in 1662. UnderFrederick the Great, 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 theCommunist 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 theBrandenburg 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 Barberinihousing an arts museum were completed in 2016–2017 alongside buildings with modernized facades to restore the historical proportions of the block.
The old town (main shopping street,Brandenburger Straße)
The Old Market Square is dominated today by the dome ofSt. 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 disciplesFriedrich August Stüler and Ludwig Persius. The eastern side of the Market Square is dominated by the Old City Hall, built in 1755 by the Dutch architect Jan Bouman (1706–1776). It has a characteristic circular tower, crowned with a gildedAtlas bearing the world on his shoulders.
North of the Old Market Square is the oval French Church (Französische Kirche), erected in the 1750s by Boumann for theHuguenot community. To the south lies theMuseum Barberini, a copy of the previous building, the Barberini Palace. The museum was funded by the German billionaireHasso Plattner. The formerBaroque building was built byCarl von Gontard in 1771–1772, inspired by the Renaissance palacePalazzo Barberini in Rome. The newly built museum was scheduled to open in spring 2017.
TheGarrison Church contains aCoventry 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-streetDutch Quarter (Holländisches Viertel), an ensemble of buildings that is unique in Europe, with about 150 houses built of red bricks in the Dutch style. It was built between 1734 and 1742 under the direction of Jan Bouman to be used by Dutch artisans and craftsmen who had been invited to settle here byKing Frederick Wilhelm I. Today, this area is one of Potsdam's most visited quarters.
Potsdam also features a memorial centre in the formerKGB prison in Leistikowstraße. In the Volkspark to the north, there is one of the last monuments dedicated to Lenin in Germany.
ThePotsdamer Schlössermarathon [de] (Potsdam Palace Marathon) is amarathon in that is held annually in June. Thousands of runners run the course past the palaces for thehalf marathon and several hundred repeat the course to complete the full marathon.
Eleonore Prochaska (1785–1813), woman soldier during theliberation war, unrecognized as a man disguised as a drummer, later as an infantryman in the Prussian army againstNapoleon
^The Potsdam project, 1996, HRH The Prince of Wales, Charles; Hanson, Brian; Steil, Lucien; Prince of Wales's Urban Design Task Force; Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture, Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture, 1998, Introduction.
^"Landeshauptstadt Potsdam, Stadtteile im Blick 2010"(PDF, 5.4 MB) (in German). 2011-06-30. p. 5.Archived(PDF) from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved2016-12-28.Note: Reports from later years omit mention of borough designations with single-digit numbers.
^abAugust Kopish, "Die Königlichen Schlösser u. Gärten zu Potsdam", Berlin, 1854, p. 18
^abThomas 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
Paul Sigel, Silke Dähmlow, Frank Seehausen und Lucas Elmenhorst, Architekturführer Potsdam Architectural Guide, Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 2006,ISBN3-496-01325-7.
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