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Potsdam owes its development into a garrison town to the Prussian King Frederick William I, who prioritized everything toward building a strong army.

Frederick II transformed Potsdam into a prestigious residence city. The creations of his era still define the appearance and character of the city today.

The economic boom that began in Germany after 1871 did not bypass Potsdam. Between 1860 and 1890, the population grew by approximately one-third.

March 21, 1933, entered German history as the ominous "Day of Potsdam." Following the Reichstag fire in Berlin, Hitler used the opening ceremony of the newly elected Reichstag as a propaganda message.

On May 8, 1945, World War II officially ended, and in July, Potsdam was at the center of global attention: the Potsdam Conference of the victorious powers took place at Cecilienhof Palace.

The peaceful revolution in the GDR also reached Potsdam. Over 100,000 citizens of the socialist district city responded to a call for demonstrations from opposition groups and protested on November 4, 1989, for democratic goals.

On July 3, 993 Potsdam was documented for the first time: The thirteen-year-old king of the East-Franconian-German Empire and later emperor Otto III gave his aunt, the abbess Mathilda of Quedlinburg, the place Poztumi.

From the state capital Potsdam to the federal capital Berlin it is only a short hop.

The Biosphäre Potsdam is located in Volkspark and offers a unique nature experience. On land, in water, and in the air, visitors can embark on a journey of discovery among 20,000 tropical plants and trees, as well as around 130 different animal species.

Theodor Fontane introduces this perhaps most famous Potsdam cemetery by noting that "what dies in Sanssouci" is also buried in Bornstedt.