Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [120]
Southeast of the GDR-era Platz der Einheit looms the great neoclassical dome of Schinkel’s Nikolaikirche ( 270 8602; Am Alten Markt; 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-7pm Sun), built in 1850, complemented by an obelisk and a small pavilion on the old market square.
West of Am Alter Markt in the former Marstall (royal stables) is the smallish Filmmuseum ( 271 8112; www.filmmuseum-potsdam.de; Breite Strasse 1a; adult/concession/family €3.50/2.50/10, film €5/4; 10am-6pm) with a permanent exhibit on the history of the UFA and DEFA (the GDR film company) studios in Babelsberg. The cinema shows all sorts of flicks, from silent movies with live organ accompaniment to recent releases.
Further west is the exotic Dampfmaschinen-haus (Pump House; 969 4248; Breite Strasse 28; mandatory tour adult/concession €2/1.50; 10am-6pm Sat & Sun May-Oct), the former palace waterworks built to look like a Turkish mosque complete with minaret.
NEUER GARTEN
The winding lakeside Neuer Garten (New Garden), laid out in natural English style on the western shore of the Heiliger See, is another fine park in which to relax. Right on the lake, the neoclassical Marmorpalais (Marble Palace; 969 4246; tour adult/concession €5/4; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun May-Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Apr) was built in 1792 for Friedrich Wilhelm II by Carl Gotthard Langhans (he of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate fame). Though not quite as fancy as Schloss Sanssouci, the interior is still stunning with its grand central staircase, marble fireplaces, stucco ceilings and collection of Wedgwood porcelain. The most fanciful room is the upstairs Orientalisches Kabinett, which looks like a Turkish tent.
Further north, Schloss Cecilienhof ( 969 4200; adult/concession with tour or audioguide €6/5; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar) is a rustic English-style country manor completed in 1917 for crown prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie. The couple’s private apartments (adult/concession €4/3; 10am, noon, 2pm & 4pm Tue-Sun) can only be seen on a guided tour, but the palace is really more famous for being the site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference where Stalin, Truman and Churchill hammered out Germany’s postwar fate. The conference room with its giant round table looks as though the delegates have just left. Bus 692 makes it up here.
A combination ticket for Cecilienhof and the Marmorpalais costs €8/6 adult/concession (available May to October only).
PFINGSTBERG
For the best view over Potsdam and surrounds, head uphill to the beautifully restored Belvedere Pfingstberg ( 2005 7930; adult/concession €3.50/2.50; 10am-8pm Jun-Aug, 10am-6pm Apr, May, Sep & Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Mar & Nov). Built in Italian Renaissance style, this massive twin-towered palace was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm IV but not completed until 1863, two years after his death. A series of spiralling wrought-iron staircases leads up to the towers for spectacular 360-degree views. Just below the palace is 1801 Pomonatempel ( 270 1972; admission free; 3-6pm Sat & Sun mid-Apr–Oct), which was Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s very first architectural commission.
BABELSBERG
Babelsberg is synonymous with film-making. The mighty UFA began shooting flicks here in 1912, and by the 1920s was producing such blockbusters as Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (see boxed text, Click here) and The Blue Angel with Marlene Dietrich. After WWII, it became the base of the East German production company DEFA, and today cameras are rolling in what is called Studio Babelsberg.
For visitors, the main reason to come here is the attached Filmpark Babelsberg ( 721 2750; www.filmpark.de; enter on Grossbeerenstrasse; adult/4-14yr/concession €19/13/16; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct), a movie-themed