GERMANY - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 232

ing the 19th century, Sans Souci stands today on a 717-acre complex as one of
the largest and most significant parks in Europe.
But “Old Fritz” would not rest. After the Seven Years' War, in which he lost all the
battles but won the war, he celebrated his “victory” by building another palace—the
Neues Palais (New Palace).
The Potsdam Information Center conducts a bus tour from April through October
that includes a tour of the SansSouciPalace and its gardens. The tour (3½ hours)
leaves the center at 1100. Cost: €27. Open year-round and closed Monday.
If you like palaces, you've come to the right place. Charlottenhof Palace, a part
of the Sans Souci complex, comes complete with Roman baths. The baths, by the
way, were not intended for the purpose of hygiene but formed a part of a museum-
like dream world reflecting the romantic yearnings of Crown Prince Frederick Willi-
am (Fat William).
The Marble Palace and the New Garden —called “new” in contrast with the
“old” gardens at Sans Souci—were ordered built by “Fat William” when he was
crowned in 1786. Hours: March-October: 1000-1800 daily; November-February:
1000-1700 weekends only. Guided tours are €8; self-guided visits are €3. Tel:
[phone] for more information; www.spsg.de .
Potsdam's old town is a great place to browse. Right in the center of it you feel
as though you've been transferred to Holland. To attract Dutch craftsmen to Pots-
dam, more than 100 middle-class Dutch Baroque-style houses were built between
1734 and 1742. The project failed in that it did not attract Dutchmen in the number
expected, but the houses were inhabited, in turn, by Potsdam's craftsmen, artists,
and military. Sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to. Per-
haps that is Potsdam's penchant—read on.
The son of Kaiser Wilhelm, Crown Prince William, built a second palace at the
New Garden from 1913 to 1915. He named it Cecilienhof after his Crown Prin-
cess. Unlike his father, who never returned from his Dutch exile, the ex-Crown
Prince did move back into Cecilienhof Palace in 1923 and stayed there until 1945,
bringing a number of interesting guests.
Berlin—Potsdam
Berlin S-Bahn trains run frequently between many Berlin stations and Potsdam—4
or 5 trains each hour all day. In addition, Potsdam is a stop for many Deutsche
Bahn mainline trains between Berlin and cities to the west—typically 3 or 4 trains
each hour in both directions run from Berlin Zoobahnhof and from Berlin Haupt-
bahnhof (some also stop at Berlin Wannsee Station). Journey time from/to Berlin