Potsdam’s Cultural Landscape

The natural beauty of Potsdam – an island among the Havel chain of lakes – enchanted even the Prussian kings. And so Potsdam became their second residence after Berlin and the wooded and lake-dotted area was completed with fascinating castle and park complexes. A wonderful cultural landscape was created, and its heart is Sanssouci Park.

Expansive vistas across idyllic lakes and rivers, on castles and gardens and a vibrant city center make Potsdam into an unforgettable experience. “The whole island has to become a paradise”, the well-traveled Johann Moritz of Nassau-Siegen once demanded in a letter to the Great Elector of 1664.

This desire combined with architects, landscape artists, sculptors, painters, craftspeople and the royal building owners created a unique, consummate work of art over the course of three centuries. Today big parts of it belong to the UNESCO World Heritage.