About this Event
Berlin by Foot with Kevin Kennedy
What do historical reconstructions say about the societies that build them? Are they expressions of reactionary political values, or simply more attractive than contemporary architecture?
Potsdam is rebuilding its Prussian past, and not all Potsdamers are happy about it. Our first stop is the Old Market, the city's reconstructed historic centre, with the City Palace (now the Brandenburg State Parliament), St. Nicholas Church, the Old Town Hall and the Barberini Museum. Here we find out why the comeback of Prussian baroque architecture divides the city, and why many residents want to preserve works of "GDR modernity" instead.
A short tram ride takes us to the Dutch Quarter, the largest ensemble of Dutch architecture outside the Netherlands and a monument to Prussia's "progressive" migration policies in the early modern era. Why were Dutch houses built in Potsdam? What happened to them during the GDR? And what is going on there now? From here we walk through Potsdam's preserved baroque quarters to Brandenburger Straße, the pedestrian zone and main shopping street, where we stop for a coffee break.
Finally, we reach Sanssouci, northern Germany's most famous palace park and once the summer home of Prussia's best-known king, Frederick the Great. We'll see the Chinese House, the New Orangery, the New Palace, the Picture Gallery, the Belvedere and much more, as well as Frederick's final resting place. What made him so great, anyway? What terrible things happened in his youth to make him long for a place where he could live "without worry"? Why did he send his wife away? Was he gay? Was he a genius general and a good king? Who is buried next to him? And why do people lay potatoes on his grave?
Highlights on the tour include:
• The Old Market, Potsdam’s reconstructed historic centre, and why its Prussian baroque comeback divides the city
• The Dutch Quarter, the largest ensemble of Dutch architecture outside the Netherlands
• A coffee break on Brandenburger Straße, Potsdam’s main shopping street
• Sanssouci palace park, from the Chinese House and the New Orangery to the New Palace and the Picture Gallery
• Frederick the Great’s final resting place
Your guide:
Kevin Kennedy is a German-American historian with 30 years of experience as a local guide. In addition to doing private tours, he also works for group travel operators, universities, corporations, think-tanks, journalists, bloggers and influencers, as well as local, state and federal government institutions.
We will meet at 11 am on November 28 at Potsdam Hauptbahnhof, exit Babelsberger Straße, in front of the Bio Company store.
Location on Google Maps
The tour lasts around four hours and ends at Sanssouci. From there you can take bus 695 back to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof, or stay on and visit Sanssouci Palace. Berlin's royal neighbour is still arguing about which version of itself to keep!
Join us in Potsdam and find out what a rebuilt palace, a Dutch street and a king's grave can tell us about the city today. It's Potsdam like you've never seen it, complete with a complimentary copy of The Berliner magazine!
Stay in the loop! Join our WhatsApp channel for live updates, meetup info & insider tips before the tour: https://www.the-berliner.com/Berlin-by-Foot/wa-channel
photo1 (New Palace): imago/Depositphotos,
photo 2 (Frederick the Great): imago/imagebroker
Event venue & nearby stays
im Hauptbahnhof 16, im Hauptbahnhof 16, Potsdam, Germany
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