"There was no way to get here for a long time because it was so close to the KGB headquarters," explained guide Hanno Hochmuth.
The Belvedere on the Pfingstberg was built in 1863 by Friedrich Wilhelm IV who was inspired by the architectural style popular in Rome at the time. But the building was later abandoned and then lay in ruins for 40 years.
More recently, wealthy donors offered to pay for its restoration which was completed in 2005. Now open to the public, it's a great place to come for spectacular views of Potsdam, a UNESCO world heritage city, filled with parks, lakes and castles.
A much smaller, older structure on the grounds here is the Greek-like Temple of Pomona -- the first building ever designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841), the famous architect who went on to construct dozens of other classic buildings in and around Berlin. The temple was commissioned by a man who once owned the property and wanted to gain favour with his wife.
Yet a third architectural style can be seen a short walk away in the Russian Colony of Alexandrowka -- which was erected in 1826 to house Russian prisoners of war and singers of a military choir that performed for the king.
Descendants of those early settlers still live in at least four of the 12 original wooden homes, many of which are surrounded by beautiful gardens, and apple and cherry trees. It's a pleasant walk through this quiet neighbourhood, which also has a Russian Orthodox church.
The "second most important site in Potsdam," according to my guide, is the Schloss (Castle) Cecilienhof.
Built in the style of an English country manor, it gained fame as the site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference where Stalin, Truman and Churchill debated the future of post-war Germany.
You can guide yourself around with the help of an audio headset which covers about 10 rooms including the conference room which still contains the original table where the leaders sat. Yet another part of the 176-room palace is an exclusive five-star hotel. Built in 1917, Cecilienhof Castle was originally the residence of crown prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie.
Wilhem's favourite meal was apparently "fried breast of duck with chestnuts, cream savoy cabbage and balsamico cherries."
It's one of the items you can order on the menu at the popular Bornstedt Crown Estate, which was declared a UNESCO site in 1999. Beer was first brewed here in 1689, a tradition which was revived again in 2002. Today you can sample their Bornstedt Buffalo brown beer or enjoy the Brandenburg cuisine for lunch.
After that, it's an easy walk (400 metres) to Potsdam's main attraction -- Schloss Sanssouci, Frederick the Great's favourite retreat. The rococo palace, designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in 1747, only allows 2,000 visitors a day, so reserve in advance.
The tour covers all 12 rooms including the concert room decorated with vines and seashells, the circular library with its sunburst ceiling, and the marble hall in white Carrara marble.
If you can't get in, it's still worth a trip to wander around Sanssouci Park and its expansive gardens, which are dotted with various other historic structures such as the Orangerie, a Chinese tea house, and the Picture Gallery with a collection of Reubens, van Dyck, and Caravaggio canvases.
In a gift shop at Sanssouci, I see a poster of Potsdam's many palaces and lament that I don't have time to see more of them.
"Well," Hanno consoles me, "you saw the newest (Schloss Cecilienhof) and the oldest (Schloss Sanssouci), and those are the two most important ones."
DETAILS
Potsdam is a popular day trip from Berlin -- only 24 km away -- and easily reached by train. For the best chance of gaining admission to Schloss Sanssouci, arrive at the ticket office by 10 a.m. in peak season (April 1 to Oct. 30). E-mail: besucherzentrum@spsg.de. For tourism info, see potsdamtourismus.de. For details on Bornstedt Crown Estate, check krongut-bornstedt.de.
WRITER@INTERLOG.COM
