The city of Potsdam shows various aspects German culture; it shows the fight that Germans fought to preserve some of their architectural history, its advances in knowledge, its tolerance of other cultures, as well as its fight to preserve itself against Soviet rule.
Sans Souci Palace
Sans Souci Palace is a rococo-style palace that was built for Frederick the Great. Sans souci means "without a care" in French, and this is why Frederick the Great built this great palace. This is where Frederick the Great was able to relax and be at peace. Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff designed Sans Souci using some of Frederick the Great's drawings. Frederick the Great and Georg had some issues, though, so Jan Bouman finished the palace for Frederick.
This palace is a little different from other palaces because it only has about twelve rooms; Frederick really wanted his house to be quiet and relaxing so he minimized the number of rooms in his new palace.
The Sans Souci Palace is surrounded by beautiful foliage, making it a beautiful relaxing home. The palace also has a Chinese House (seen above) which is a pavilion situated in the gardens that is blue and gold After Frederick passed away, other German monarchs stayed joyously at Sans Souci, including the other Hohenzollern's who continued to enjoy Sans Souci until the end of World War I. Today, Sans Souci is open for visitors to see the beautiful architecture and designs by von Knobelsdorff, Frederick the Great, and Bouman. ("Sanssouci Palace Is a Royal Residence to Visit Without Worries").
Holländisches Viertel: the Dutch Quarter
The Dutch Quarter is located in Potsdam and covers about four blocks of the city. Here, there are about 150 houses that were built in the Dutch style, "unplastered, with white seams, shuttered windows, and sometimes sweeping gables." ("Holländisches Viertel - The Dutch Quarter") This area was built from 1734 to 1742 when King Frederick Wilhelm I asked for Dutch craftsmen to come to Prussia. In the Dutch Quarter, there is a museum dedicated to Jan Bouman, who was mostly in charge of construction in this area. He was also the man who finished designing Sans Souci.
This allowance of the Dutch Quarter shows the Prussian tolerance of others, as well as the Russian Quarter ("Dutch History in the Middle of Potsdam").
Russian Quarter
The Russian Quarter located in northern Potsdam, also known as Alexandrowka, was built by the request of King Frederick Wilhelm III. The Russian Quarter is made up of thirteen wooden, Russian-style houses. King Frederick Wilhelm III wanted to build this quarter in remembrance of his friend Czar Alexander I.
Czar Alexander I
The first inhabitants of this quarter were "former members of a Russian soldier's choir." ("The Russian Colony Alexandrowka"). This quarter has a Russian Orthodox chapel, a warden's house, as well as a royal mansion. The warden's house is open today for visitors to see what the homes look like. There are a few descendants of the prior inhabitants still living there today. There has been great effort in the past few decades to preserve the Russian quarters and to reconstruct them to their original style. ("Russiches Kolonie: Alexandrowka")
Stadtschloss
Stadtschloss 1773
The Potsdam Stadtschloss, or city castle, was designed by Georg Wenceslaus von Knobelsdorff, the same architect of the Sans Souci. The interior was similar to Sans Souci and Charlottenburg. The Stadtschloss was changed a little after its construction, but not very much. After 1918, the Stadtschloss was turned into a museum and also housed the city council and several other administrative departments.
Like many buildings in Germany, Potsdam's Stadtschloss was greatly damaged during the bombings of World War II. At first, there were great plans to reconstruct the Stadtschloss to its original grandeur, but these plans changed and in 1959-1960. East Berlin decided that Potsdam's Stadtschloss should be demolished; there was great protest, but it did not hinder the demolition.
Stadtschloss in 1945
The city of Potsdam later decided to replicate the Stadtschloss and after much negotiation, a contract was made. Drawings dating back to the 1700's, pictures before the drawings, and written records about the palace are being used to help re-design the building ("Das Potsdamer Stadtschloss"). It will be used to house Brandenburg's parliament (Cusack).
St. Nicholas Church
St. Nicholas Church, an Evangelical church, is located on the Old Market Square in Potsdam. It was built in the Classicist style and named after Saint Nicholas as a dedication to him. It was built during 1830 to 1837, and was later built up to be 77 meters tall. Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Ludwig Persius, and Friedrich August Stüler built the church during different stages of its completion.
The Church was bombed and greatly damaged during World War II. The church was re-built and re-consecrated in 1981. Concert events as well as regular church services are held in St. Nicholas Church. ("City Walk: Tour of Potsdam's Architecture, Potsdam, Germany")
The Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was concerned with using reason and advancing knowledge through science. Potsdam joined this age in many ways. One way was when the Royal Prussian Geodetic Institute moved from Berlin to Potsdam in 1892. Later in 1892, the meteorological-geomagnetic observatory was created on Telegrafenberg hill. The desire to expand one's knowledge was not left in the 19th century, though. In Potsdam, the weight of Earth was determined and several other institutes have been founded, such as the Central Institute for Agricultural Technology and the Shipbuilding Research Institute in East Germany in the 1950's.
Potsdam is also home to several universities and colleges. The State Technical College was founded in 1948, became a Pedagogic College in 1952, and in 1991 was included in Potsdam University. The German College for Film Arts was founded in 1954 in Potsdam, which is now named the Konrad Wolf Technical College for Film and Television. In 1991, the Potsdam Technical College, the third technical college in Potsdam, was created. ("Science and Education in Potsdam")
Unesco World Heritage Sights
In order for a sight to be named an Unesco World Heritage Sight it "...must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one of ten selection criteria.
Selection criteria:
1. to represent a masterpiece of human creative
genius;
2.
to exhibit an important interchange of human
values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments
in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape
design;
3.
to bear a unique or at least exceptional
testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which
has disappeared;
4.
to be an outstanding example of a type of
building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which
illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
5.
to be an outstanding example of a traditional
human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or
cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has
become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
6.
to be directly or tangibly associated with
events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and
literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers
that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other
criteria);
7.
to contain superlative natural phenomena or
areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
8.
to be outstanding examples representing major
stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going
geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic
or physiographic features;
9.
to be outstanding examples representing
significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and
development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and
communities of plants and animals;
10. to
contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ
conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened
species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or
conservation." ("The Criteria for Selection")
Ceclienhof
Sacrow and Heilandskirche (Church of the Redeemer)
Sternwarte
Works Cited
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"Criteria for Selection, The." UNESCO World Heritage Centre -. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
<http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/>.
Cusack, Andrew. "Potsdam's City Palace to Be Resurrected." Andrewcusack.com. 5 Apr. 2010.
Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://www.andrewcusack.com/2010/04/05/potsdam-palace/>
"Das Potsdamer Stadtschloss." - Verein Potsdamer Stadtschloss E.V. . Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.stadtschloss-potsdam.org/>.
"Dutch History in the Middle of Potsdam." Potsdam.de . Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.potsdam.de/cms/beitrag/10000691/34734/>.
"Hollandisches Viertel - The Dutch Quarter." Potsdam.de. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.potsdam.de/cms/beitrag/10000968/26846/>.
"Russian Colony Alexandrowka, The." Potsdam.de. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.potsdam.de/cms/beitrag/10000971/26846/>.
"Russiches Kolonie: Alexandrowka." Alexandrowka - the Russian Colony in the North of Potsdam.
Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.alexandrowka.de/indexenglisch.html>.
"Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam." Sanssouci Palace, Pictures, Sights of Sanssouci Potsdam. Web. 20
Nov. 2012. <http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/sanssouci-potsdam-sights.html>.
"Sanssouci Palace Is a Royal Residence to Visit Without Worries." MyGermanCitycom RSS.
Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.mygermancity.com/sanssouci>.
"Science and Education in Potsdam." Potsdam.de. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.potsdam.de/cms/ziel/27030/EN/>.
Image URLs:
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http://www.geolinde.musin.de/bild/deutschlandost/potsdam2/Bilder/Potsdam%20Haus%20Alexandrowka_JPG.jpg
http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/images/ME1-44-I.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Stadtschloss_Potsdam_Gem%C3%A4lde.jpg
http://www.andrewcusack.com/net/wp-content/uploads/potsrek2.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Bundesarchiv_Bild_170-400,_Potsdam,_Stadtschloss.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/St._Nikolaikirche,_Potsdam.jpg
http://cdn2.vtourist.com/15/6058660-St_Nicholas_Church_Potsdam_Berlin.jpg
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/29693264.jpg
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/34629958.jpg
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/58749604.jpg
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