Potsdam is a UNESCO World Heritage city, known as the city of palaces and gardens nestled along the idyllic Havel lakes. It is a diverse cultural hub, a UNESCO Creative City of Film, a center for education and science, shaped by over 1,000 years of history, and the capital of Brandenburg near Berlin. Numerous monuments and fascinating examples of modern architecture invite exploration.
International influences from France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Russia, and many other parts of the world have continually provided valuable impulses for the city’s development. These influences have left their mark on architecture, craftsmanship, and lifestyle, still vividly visible today in the Dutch Quarter, Weberplatz in Babelsberg, the Russian Colony Alexandrovka, and especially in the palaces and gardens.
The unique charm of the city on the Havel lakes inspired Prussian electors, kings, and emperors to choose Potsdam as their residence. This special location also sparked the decision in 1911 to establish Potsdam as a hub for film production. To this day, films of national and international renown are produced in Babelsberg Media City. Iconic works such as The Blue Angel, The Little Muck, The Legend of Paul and Paula, The Pianist, Bridge of Spies, and Inglourious Basterds were created here. Numerous cultural institutions, including the Museum Barberini, the Brandenburg Museum, the Nikolaisaal Potsdam, and the Schiffbauergasse cultural quarter with the striking Hans Otto Theater, offer a wide range of theater performances, concerts, exhibitions, art collections, and festivals, such as Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci (Music Festival Potsdam Sanssouci) and Potsdamer Schlössernacht (a varied program of dance, music, variety, theater and light and sound installations at Sanssouci Park).
Universities and colleges, closely integrated with businesses, other universities, and non-university research institutions, shape the present and future of this state capital.
