Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [123]
Some years later, in 1747, Frederick the Great managed to lure Bach to Potsdam, where the great composer wrote The Musical Offering on a theme proposed by the king himself. Since then Bach’s place in Brandenburg history has been assured, but it’s only in recent times that his legacy has been fully celebrated. Since 2000 the Potsdamer Bachtage (Bach Days), a two-week festival of concerts, workshops and readings, has dedicated itself to making the master’s work accessible to modern audiences.
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Drinking
Hafthorn ( 280 0820; Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse 90) This low-key pub is great for quaffing a cold one in the funky beer garden or amid masklike sconces wrought from sheet metal. Pick from the snack menu (€2 to €7.50) to stave off that hangover.
Barometer ( 270 2880; Gutenbergstrasse 103; from 8pm) This vaulted cellar lounge is popular with grown-ups willing to peel off the bills for serious cocktails. Access is via the back courtyard.
La Leander ( 270 6576; Benkertstrasse 1; 5pm-2am Mon-Fri, 11am-2am Sat & Sun) The rainbow flags fly proudly over this low-key Dutch Quarter pub that’s a good place for plugging into the local lesbigay scene.
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Getting There & Away
Regional trains leaving from Berlin-Hauptbahnhof and Zoologischer Garten take only 25 minutes to reach Potsdam Hauptbahnhof; some continue on to Potsdam-Charlottenhof and Potsdam-Sanssouci, which are closer to Park Sanssouci than Hauptbahnhof. The S-Bahn line S7 from central Berlin makes the trip in about 40 minutes. Berlin transit tickets must cover zones A, B and C (€2.80) to be valid for the trip to Potsdam.
Drivers coming from Berlin should take the A100 to the A115.
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Getting Around
Buses and trams operate throughout Potsdam. The most useful line is bus 695, which connects the Hauptbahnhof with the Altstadt and Park Sanssouci. Tickets costs €1.70 and a day pass €3.90.
For bike hire, Potsdam per Pedales ( 748 0057; per day from €8.50) has branches at the Potsdam Hauptbahnhof ( 9.30am-7pm May-Sep) and at the Griebnitzsee S-Bahn station ( 9am-6.30pm daily Easter-Oct, Mon-Fri only Nov-Easter).
For a taxi, ring 292 929.
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BRANDENBURG AN DER HAVEL
03381 / pop 73,000
Brandenburg may not be Venice, but this pretty town some 50km west of Berlin was definitely shaped by water. Set amid a pastoral landscape of lakes, rivers and canals, it has a historic centre with some fine examples of northern German red-brick architecture. First settled by Slavs in the 6th century, Brandenburg was a bishopric in the early Middle Ages and a margravial capital until the 15th century. Darker times arrived when the Nazis picked the town to carry out their forced euthanasia program for the mentally disabled, killing tens of thousands. Wartime bombing and GDR neglect left their scars, but these have healed nicely, making Brandenburg once again an attractive day trip from Berlin or Potsdam.
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Orientation
Brandenburg is split into three sections by the Havel River, the Beetzsee and their various canals. The Neustadt occupies an island in the centre and is connected to the Altstadt by the Jahrtausendbrücke (Millennium Bridge), while the Dominsel is north of the Neustadt. The train station is about 1km south of the central Neustädtischer Markt.
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Information
Dresdner Bank ( 2670; Neustädtischer Markt 10)
Post office (St Annenstrasse 30-36)
Tourist information ( 208 769; www.stg-brandenburg.de, in German; Steinstrasse 66/67; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri year-round, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun May-Sep, 10am-2pm Sat Oct-Apr)
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Sights & Activities
A fine place to kick off your exploration of Brandenburg is at the mostly Gothic Dom St Peter und St Paul (Cathedral of Sts Peter & Paul; 211 2221; Burghof 9; 10am-5pm) on Dominsel. Treasures include a carved 14th-century Bohemian