Halfway between the Hauptbahnhof and the Altstadt, the Alter Markt is the site where Potsdam's settlement began. Under Frederick the Great, it evolved into one of Europe's most beautiful squares and, until its destruction in WWII, remained the city's commercial and social hub. In 2005, Potsdam's government decided to tear down the GDR-era buildings and reconstruct the historic ensemble. Nearly completed, it includes the Potsdam city palace, the Museum Barberini, the old town hall and the St Nikolai-Kirche.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.63 MILES
Walk through ancient Babylon, meet an Egyptian queen, clamber up a Greek altar or be mesmerized by Monet's ethereal landscapes. Welcome to Museumsinsel …
16.61 MILES
For over 60 years, not a soul was able to visit Berlin’s Neues Museum – in fact, it sat in ruins. But today it’s one of the city’s most celebrated…
16.63 MILES
The Pergamonmuseum is one of Berlin’s most visited historical gems and perhaps also its most controversial. This museum offers an archaeological time-warp…
15.63 MILES
This compelling exhibit tells stories of terror and persecution in Nazi Germany.
1.34 MILES
This glorious park and palace ensemble is what happens when a king has good taste, plenty of cash and access to the finest architects and artists of the…
1.14 MILES
Frederick the Great's famous summer palace, this rococo gem was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in 1747 and sits daintily above vine-draped…
Nearby Potsdam attractions
0.03 MILES
In Potsdam's historic centre, around the Alter Markt (old market), the great patina-green dome of Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s neoclassical Nikolaikirche …
0.04 MILES
The original Barberini Palace was a baroque Roman palazzo commissioned by Frederick the Great and bombed to bits in World War II. Since January 2017, a…
0.1 MILES
One of Potsdam's newest landmarks is this replica of the 18th-century Prussian City Palace that was partly destroyed in WWII and completely removed by…
0.12 MILES
The permanent exhibit of this venerable yet completely updated film museum presents an engaging romp through the history of the UFA (one of the world's…
0.5 MILES
This picturesque cluster of 134 gabled red-brick houses was built around 1730 for Dutch workers invited to Potsdam by Friedrich Wilhelm I. The entire…
0.62 MILES
The baroque Brandenburger Tor on Luisenplatz is the gateway to Potsdam's old town and was commissioned by Frederick the Great. A symbol of victory, it was…
1.03 MILES
The Picture Gallery shelters Frederick the Great's prized collection of Old Masters, including such pearls as Caravaggio's Doubting Thomas, Anthony van…
1.05 MILES
One of Potsdam's most unusual neighbourhoods, Alexandrowka is a Russian colony that was a gift from Friedrich Wilhelm III to his close friend Tsar…