Potsdam

For its Prussian rulers, Potsdam was a garden kingdom. The city grew from a garrison town to become the favourite of the Hohenzollern kings, a place to lay out parks, gardens and palaces. This suited the laid-back feel of the city built around lakes.

Frederick the Great became particularly fond of Potsdam, laying out a park with pavilions and building two palaces, the most famous the Rococo Schloß Sanssouci. The park was the first of three established before the mid-19th century, and before the end of World War I there were about 150 assorted buildings belonging to the royal house. The last, Schloß Cecilienhof, became the venue for the 1945 Potsdam Conference. The parks and palaces are UNESCO world heritage listed.

Potsdam also became ethnically diverse when French Huguenots, Bohemian weavers, Dutch settlers and Russian soldiers settled around the city, all leaving their mark architecturally.

In the 20th century the outlying suburb Babelsberg became a centre for film production, a role it still plays. Filmpark Babelsberg is a theme park and information centre set for visitors to learn more about filmmaking.