POTSDAM TOURISMUS SERVICE
Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall visiting the city to the south-west of Berlin meant a lengthy journey. At that time the trip from Berlin to Potsdam took something like half a day. And even the area which is today a World Heritage Site was carved up by the border posts and other such installations. Views that had in the past been taken for granted were suddenly reduced to perspectives that were mere shadows of their former selves.
The “Bridge of Spies“ united and divided West and East
Sector border, no-go area, agent swaps. Across a green steel structure – the Glienicke Bridge – on the edge of Potsdam was where the border between the GDR and West Berlin ran. The Glienicke
Bridge came to the notice of the international community as a result of three spectacular operations
(1962, 1985 and 1986), during which agents from both systems, communist and capitalist, were exchanged. The bridge gets its name from the Manor of Glienicke which lies in the south west of
Berlin and which was intended to realise the Italianate dreams of Prince Carl of Prussia by serving as his summer palace. Long before there were ever any thoughts of armed GDR border guards,
Frederick William I’s “Long Guys“ were standing sentinel over the bridge to bar the way to deserters.
Then, in 1907, the Glienicke Bridge acquired the typical features that we know today. With the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 the bridge became part of the “Iron Curtain“. Since the
Reunification in 1989 the bridge has once again united Berlin Wannsee with Potsdam.
Villa Schöningen - Museum on the ‘Bridge of Spies‘
The Villa Schöningen, situated directly on the Glienicke Bridge, is Potsdam’s Wall Museum. It houses a permanent historic exhibition along with special exhibitions. The next special exhibition will run from 2 nd February 2013: "out of time – Art of the 50s and 60s from the Ströher Collection" will be on display. In addition, the story of the Glienicke Bridge will also
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POTSDAM TOURISMUS SERVICE be featured, relating events taking place from the time of the Potsdam Conference, the inauguration of the ”Bridge of Unity“ (1949) and the role played by the bridge in military missions. The border post, which was the scene of constant re-arming operations from 1961 onwards, is to be explained by means of schematics. Also described will be the background to the three agent exchange operations (1962, 1985, and 1986). A second central topic that will be addressed is the story of the people who lived and worked in the Villa Schöningen and in the adjacent border zone. Here the content will be to a major extent based on reports from contemporary witnesses and these can be seen and heard in video and audio reports. The exhibition is designed along multimedia lines. Content will be transmitted via screens. On the ground floor of the Villa is a café which will also be open to people not attending the exhibition. At warmer times of the year, patrons will also be able to enjoy the Café garden. www.villa-schoeningen.org
Lindenstrasse Memorial Site for Victims of Political Repression in the 20th Century
Unimposing, hidden behind the facade of a Baroque town residence in the middle of Potsdam city centre, lies the Lindenstrasse Memorial Site. Built originally as a city palace, it later became the meeting place of the city parliament and was subsequently used by the Municipal Court of Law as the seat of the Court and the prison. In 1910 a large cell block was constructed in the adjacent rear courtyard with almost 100 cells. During the National Socialist dictatorship (1933-45) prisoners who were victims of political persecution were interned here. From 1945-1952 the Soviet Secret Service used the building as a prison. The political prisoners were kept in inhuman conditions in single cells measuring seven square metres, together with 3 to 6 other detainees. The State Security Service of the GDR (Stasi) interned political prisoners here from 1952 to 1989. Following the bloodless revolution of 1989/90, the building ceased to be used as a political prison and it became a salutary reminder of and a memorial to the victims of political repression in the 20 th century. The depressing continuity of the arbitrary attitude shown by different German dictatorships as reflected in this place and the personal fate of those concerned are topics addressed by tours and events that take place at this memorial. Contact: T.: (0331) 289 68 03 and 289 61
36, E.: geschichte-museum@rathaus.potsdam.de
. Lessons to be learned from memorial sites:
Catrin Eich, Tel/Fax 2015714, Email: C_Eich39@web.de
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POTSDAM TOURISMUS SERVICE
The Pfingstberg and the Belvedere in Potsdam
At 76 metres above sea level, the Pfingstberg represents the highest elevation of the island of
Potsdam. The Pfingstberg incorporates the Schloss Belvedere lookout point, which was built in the
19th century, and the Temple of Pomona. Both buildings are framed by a park in the style of an
English landscape garden. The closeness of the Soviet barracks, proximity to the “Forbidden City“ and the fact that, from the Pfingstberg, there was a direct view of the GDR border posts, were the reasons why the Schloss and the Temple fell into a Sleeping Beauty-like slumber. Because the nearby Leistikowstrasse 1 was home to the KGB prison and the German Commando Centre of the
Russian Secret Service, the viewing platform was completely closed after the construction of the
Wall in the year 1961. After the death of the last Steward, the building fell into disrepair and became prey to wilful destruction and vandalism. Committed Potsdam people joined forces in 1987, resolving to awaken this, once the most beautiful viewing platform in Potsdam, from its Sleeping
Beauty-like slumber. After Reunification the Pfingstberg Charitable Foundation grew out of this initiative. In a number of steps, both small and large, a resplendent viewing folly arose like a phoenix from the ruins. Today the Pfingstberg Charitable Foundation is responsible for operating and taking care of the ensemble which belongs to the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-
Brandenburg. Highly recommended is a visit to the monthly ’Mondnächte‘ (or ‘Moonlit Nights‘) when the Belvedere is illuminated in a host of colours. www.pfingstberg.de
The Potsdam Conference – Schloss Cecilienhof
The name “Schloss Cecilienhof“ no doubt conjures up in the minds of most people pictures of the enormous table at which Truman, Churchill and Stalin hammered out the future of Germany at the
Potsdam Conference in 1945. Originally, however, the Schloss was constructed during the period from 1914 to 17 as the last palatial edifice to be built by the Hohenzollern dynasty on behalf of
Crown Prince William and Princess Cecilie of the German Imperial House. At the end of the Second
World War in 1945, the Crown Prince and Princess fled Potsdam before the advancing troops of the
Red Army. Searching for a suitable location for negotiations at which the victorious powers would decide on the future development of Germany, a choice was made in favour of the practically undamaged Schloss
Cecilienhof in Potsdam. While the conference was being held, however, the
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POTSDAM TOURISMUS SERVICE delegations lived shut away in the Neubabelsberg Villa Colony. In 1970 the memorial site was taken over by the State Palaces and Gardens Potsdam-Sanssouci, but retained its status as a politically orientated museum.
From 1960 onwards, the west wing of the building, which is constructed in the style of an English country house, served as a so-called “(hard) currency” (“Devisen”) hotel. Today there is still a hotel here – the relaxa Schlosshotel Cecilienhof Potsdam. Following the Reunification in 1990 work was commenced on the development of a new museum concept. On the basis of a scientific assessment, the historic background relating to the Potsdam Conference and its results was depicted together with the history of the Schloss and those who lived there. Audio guides are available in a number of different languages. Contact: T.: +49(0)331-3705-0 , E.: potsdam.cecilienhof@relexa-hotel.de
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Press enquiries: Birgit Kunkel & Regina Zibell, Potsdam Tourismus Service, Am Neuen Markt 1, 14467
Potsdam, Tel.: 0331/298 73-251, Fax 0331/298 73-73, Email: kunkel@potsdamtourismus.de
, zibell@potsdamtourismus.de, www.potsdamtourismus.de/
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