Potsdam Germany, a set on Flickr.
Potsdam Germany
A Little History-
Potsdam is located on the River Havel 15 miles southwest of Berlin. Its name comes from the West Slavonic word “Poztupimi” which means, “beneath the oaks.” Like the rest of Germany, Potsdam history is full of royalty, war, art, myths, beautiful castles, gardens and palaces. This jewel of Germany has been home to national and international notability, from Prussian kings to German Kaisers.
The earliest history we have of Potsdam goes to the Bronze Age and was part of Magna Germania. Soon the Slavs moved into the area and developed the settlement of Heveller after the 7th century. Emperor Otto III gave the settlement to his aunt Matilda.
In our visit there we spent our time at the “Historic Mill”, Sanssouci Castle and its gardens. It was a time well spent.
The windmill is often referred to as “Historic Mill” by the locals. It is a very important part of Germany history, yet the actually mill that you can see today is not very old. The first windmill was built as a wooden trestle mill that stayed in working condition until 1739. The second was built in 1790 and lasted until World War II. It burned down when hit by Russian bazooka’s. The current windmill began reconstruction in 1983 and was finished and opened to the public in 1993.
The windmill is just behind the Sanssouci Castle. King Frederick the Great like having the windmill saying that it added a rural look to the place. The mill was built 10 years before the Castle. The miller was not happy about the Palace being so close, he said that new building was blocking the wind.
Sanssouci is French and means “without cares,” and that is exactly what Frederick the Great felt when he took solace in this amazing palace. Sanssouci Palace is covered in detail stone carvings and statues. Large arched windows cover the front of the building so that when you were any room that faced the huge gardens you would have an un-obstructive view.
Our Visit-
If you ever have the chance to go to Berlin, you would be cheating yourself if you did not take the time to go to Potsdam. Even more so if you are a history buff like myself. The area is rich in culture among natural beauty.
From Berlin we crossed the river into Potsdam on an old bridge known for exchanging prisons back and forth between East and West Germany. We went straight to a parking lot near the “Historic Windmill,” and continued on foot.
The windmill was accessible with a stairs nearly to the very top. A few floors up, you can step outside to see the big sails a little closer, but not too close. There was a great view of the castle but most of the garden was blocked by it.
The Palace was impressive but for me the gardens were even more impressive. We had a great time walking around enjoying the flowers and statues. It was like stepping back into the 1700’s. I almost wanted to put on a gray wig. Uh, not really!
Here are few of the pictures I took that day. I will be adding more to set as time goes on, until then I hope you enjoy these.
