Potsdamer Stadtschloss

Potsdam

LoginSave

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 East German town planners in 1960. It reopened in 2014 as the new home of the Brandenburg state parliament. Of the original building, only the ornate Fortuna Portal remains; it now forms the main entrance to the compound, sections of which (including the rooftop terrace and the staircase designed by Knobelsdorff) are open to the public.

Free one-hour guided tours (in German) run Fridays from 4pm to 5pm; online registration required.

Note the two pavilions in the courtyard by German artist Florian Dombois that mimic the central dome of Sanssouci Palace.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Museum island on Spree river and Alexanderplatz TV tower in center of Berlin, Germany

    Museumsinsel

    16.72 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 …

  • Neues Museum und Alte Nationalgalerie (right) at Museumsinsel in Berlin.

    Neues Museum

    16.69 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…

  • The Museumsinsel in Berlin

    Pergamonmuseum

    16.71 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…

  • BERLIN, GERMANY- October 15, 2014: Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed starting on 13 August 1961. East Side Gallery is an international memorial for freedom. October 15, 2014 in Berlin

    East Side Gallery

    17.79 MILES

    The East Side Gallery is the embodiment of Berlin’s grit and guts.

  • Berlin city Germanyu 1610343451

    Fernsehturm

    17.14 MILES

    Germany's tallest structure, the TV Tower is a Berlin icon.

  • Topographie des Terrors, Museum

    Topographie des Terrors

    15.71 MILES

    This compelling exhibit tells stories of terror and persecution in Nazi Germany.

  • Schloss & Park Sanssouci

    Schloss & Park Sanssouci

    1.33 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…

  • Schloss Sanssouci

    Schloss Sanssouci

    1.15 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…

View more attractions

Nearby Potsdam attractions

1. Filmmuseum Potsdam

0.08 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…

2. Museum Barberini

0.1 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…

3. Alter Markt

0.1 MILES

Halfway between the Hauptbahnhof and the Altstadt, the Alter Markt is the site where Potsdam's settlement began. Under Frederick the Great, it evolved…

4. St Nikolai-Kirche

0.12 MILES

In Potsdam's historic centre, around the Alter Markt (old market), the great patina-green dome of Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s neoclassical Nikolaikirche …

5. Holländisches Viertel

0.59 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…

6. Brandenburger Tor

0.63 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…

7. Bildergalerie

1.05 MILES

The Picture Gallery shelters Frederick the Great's prized collection of Old Masters, including such pearls as Caravaggio's Doubting Thomas, Anthony van…

8. Alexandrowka

1.13 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…