Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Schloss Cecilienhof
Tues-Sun: April-Oct 10am-6pm; Nov-March 10am-5pm • €6 •
W
spsg.de • Tram #92 or #96 to “Reiterweg/Alleestrasse” stop then
change to bus #603 to Schloss Cecilienhof
In the grounds of the Neuer Garten, looking like a mock-Elizabethan mansion, is
Schloss Cecilienhof
; the last palace to be commissioned by the Hohenzollerns, it was
begun in 1913 and completed in 1917, the war evidently doing nothing to change the
architectural style. Cecilienhof would only rate a passing mention were it not for the
fact that the
Potsdam conference
- confirming earlier decisions made at Yalta about
the postwar European order - was held here from July 17 to August 2, 1945. he
conference was heavily symbolic, providing a chance for Truman, Stalin and Churchill
(replaced mid-conference by Clement Attlee) to show the world that they had truly won
the war by meeting in the heart of the ruined Reich. As a result, the main attraction
inside is the
Konferenzsaal
, or conference chamber, where the Allies worked out details
of the division of Europe. Everything has been left pretty much as it was in 1945, with
the huge round table, specially made in Moscow for the conference, still in place. It's
also possible to visit the delegates' workrooms, furnished in varying degrees of
chintziness. Cecilienhof has been used as an expensive hotel and restaurant since 1960.
11
Babelsberg
On the eastern bank of the Havel is
Babelsberg
, once a town but now o
cially part
of Potsdam. Lining the banks of the Tiefer See is
Park Babelsberg
, Potsdam's third
great park complex, designed by Lenné, but not as popular. Tracks lead through the
hilly, roughly wooded park to
Schloss Babelsberg
(closed for renovation;
W
spsg.de),
a neo-Gothic architectural extravaganza, built by Schinkel at the behest of Prince
Wilhelm, brother of Friedrich Wilhelm IV, and inspired by England's Windsor
Castle. But Babelsberg's real claim to fame is as the one-time heart of the German
film industry. Founded in 1917, it was here that the
UFA film studios
rivalled
Hollywood during the 1920s.
Filmpark Babelsberg
Grossbeerenstr., Potsdam-Babelsberg • Late March-Oct daily 10am-6pm • €21 •
T
0331 721 27 55,
W
filmpark.de • Buses #690 and
#601 from S-Babelsberg
Today, the huge old UFA film studios complex - films produced here during its heyday
included
Das Kabinett des Dr Caligari
,
Metropolis
and
Der Blaue Engel
- has reinvented
itself as a theme park,
Filmpark Babelsberg
. Mainly of interest to those with a good
knowledge of the German film industry, it offers the chance to wander through
costume and props departments and watch technicians going through the motions of
shooting film scenes. It's also possible to visit the hangar-like studio where Fritz Lang
may have filmed
Metropolis
(no one is quite sure) and admire a reproduction of his
futuristic set. Aside from film-related attractions are fairground rides and animal shows.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
POTSDAM
By train
All services, including the S-Bahn from Berlin
(around 30min) arrive in Potsdam's Hauptbahnhof.
Tickets
Potsdam's local bus and tram services are included
in the BVG ticket (see p.22) that include zone C, so buying
an ABC day-ticket is the most economical option for day-
trips from Berlin.
GETTING AROUND
By bus and tram
The city's main bus station lies beside
the Hauptbahnhof, from where Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam
(ViP;
W
vip-potsdam.de) bus
#X15 runs straight to Schloss
Sanssouci. Take #X5 or bus #605 to “Neues Palais” to walk
from the furthest reaches of the park via its attractions back
to the Altstadt.
Tram #92 heads from the Hauptbahnhof to
the Altstadt, though it's more interesting to simply walk
10min via Lange Brücke and Alter Markt.
Bike rental
Potsdam per Pedales at the train station
(May-Sept daily 9.30am-7pm;
T
0331 748 00 57,
W
potsdam-per-pedales.de) rents bikes (€10.50/day), as
welll as Potsdam audio guides (€6/day). However, you can
only cycle on a single loop within the park and are not
allowed to park your bike within it.
