maverickbirdI love autumn so much that last year, I dedicated an entire series to this beautiful season. The earth looks beautifully mature, smelling good enough to eat, and the sun feels just right. With gorgeous fall foliage set against soft blue skies, there is a lot to love about autumn. I have some very beautiful memories of one special autumn in Potsdam, Berlin’s fairytale pretty neighbour. Now as much as I adore Berlin and its incredible energy, I cannot help comparing the city to a large, sophisticated slum: an uber-sexy, poor, full of life, urban sprawl. The German capital has the tendency to exhaust its visitors in a good way, and most visitors quickly look for day trips from the city. This is where Potsdam takes over and only 40 minutes away from Berlin, lies one of the prettiest places in Germany.
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How beautiful are the autumn colours in Potsdam?
Potsdam has the UNESCO World Heritage Status
Located snugly on the Havel River, just 25 kilometers away from central Berlin, Potsdam is the capital of the Brandenburg state. It is also the state’s highlight, owing to the multitude of castles, parks, and lakes. Needless to say, Potsdam is incredibly pretty, perhaps one of the loveliest places in Germany and its Prussian royal seat past has left many fairy-tale gardens and colourful palaces. Known as the Sanssouci monuments, these were built by King Frederick the Great and got listed in the Unesco World Heritage status in 1990. Originally laid out in the 1740s, with a canary yellow wedding cake style château in the center, Sanssouci was the great emperor’s Frederick’s escape from the dreary grey pressure of life in Berlin. The emperor lavished it with beauty and nature and the haven became, as the French name suggests, a place where he could be “without a care.”
A sneak peek at the emperor’s palace “without care”
Potsdam held the royal jewels and death bell for post-war Germany
Apart from this private retreat of King Friedrich II (Frederick the Great), Potsdam has many other fabulous palaces and parks, most of which have miraculously survived the WW II bombings. As luck would have it when the shooting ceased the Allies selected Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam to host the historic Conference of 1945, where they laid out the blueprint of post-war Germany’s fate. to lay the groundwork for Germany’s post-war fate. Now, I am a big fan of pouring my heart out and writing long posts, but a recent accident has left me too injured to type. So, I will post a photo essay of Potsdam: of our lovely autumn memories spent in this enchanting little town. Stay tuned for detailed Potsdam travel guide and palaces information.
Can a place so lovely have a past so grim?
Welcome to Potsdam,
The crown jewel of the Brandenburg state
And a great destination for a day trip from Berlin.
P.S – This blog post is part of the series called the Cologne Diaries, which highlights a new theme, emotion, and beauty of an expat life in Cologne. For more exotic fun, check out my Cairo Chronicles in the Expat Life category.