World Heritage Photos

Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: Architects and artists created an ensemble of palaces, churches, gardens and parks in Berlin and Potsdam, Germany. Potsdam was the royal residence of the Brandenburg-Prussian rulers. Some of the monuments in Potsdam include Sanssouci Park; a complex of palaces and gardens in Potsdam built under King Frederick the Great during the 18th century. Sanssouci Palace was built for King Frederick the Great between 1745 and 1747. This palace is often considered the German rival to Versailles, but it is far smaller. The Neues Palais (New Palace) was built under King Frederick the Great between 1763 and 1769. This was not the king's principal residence; he only used it for the reception of important royals and dignitaries. The king lived in Sanssouci Palace, his favourite residence. The Chinese House is a garden pavilion built in the Rococo style; it is located near Sanssouci Palace and the Neues Palais in Sanssouci Park. Between 1845 and 1854, the Church of Peace was built in Sanssouci Park. The church houses the imposing mausoleum of Kaiser Friedrich III and his wife Empress Victoria. The Cecilienhof was built between 1914 and 1917; this palace was created in the style of an English country house. The Cecilienhof was the location of the Potsdam Conference in 1945. The Russian Colony Alexandrowka was built in the beginning of the 19th century to accommodate Russian musicians. The Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Church was built between 1826 and 1829, primarily for these musicians, who were prisoners of war. In addition to the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin, there are two other World Heritage Sites in Berlin: Berlin Modernism Housing Estates and Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin. The Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

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   Potsdam: The Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Church in the Russian Colony Alexandrowka in Potsdam. Built between 1826 and 1829 for the local Russian inhabitants of Alexandrowka, its architecture features characteristic onion-shaped domes. This shape represents a candle flame, which was believed to be the light of faith reaching up to heaven; it also symbolizes the prayers of the faithful drifting up to heaven. The Alexander Nevsky Church is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin.

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   Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: A wooden house in the Russian Colony Alexandrowka. This colony was built in the 1820s; it served as the home of Russian musicians (prisoners of war) of the First Prussian Regiment of the Guards. It was modeled after Glasovo, a Russian village close to St. Petersburg. Alexandrowka consists of the characteristic Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Church and thirteen wooden houses built in the Russian style. The colony is situated in Potsdam, the former Royal Seat of the Brandenburg-Prussian rulers.

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   Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The Chinese House is a garden pavilion in Sanssouci Park, built between 1754 and 1757. It is situated close to the Neues Palais and Sanssouci Palace. King Frederick the Great had this pavilion built to adorn his gardens and also as a setting for small social gatherings. It was the king's attempt to follow the Chinese fashion of the mid-18th century, which started in France. The Chinese House and Sanssouci Park in Potsdam are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin.

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   Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The tower of the Picture Gallery (Bildergalerie). This museum is situated to the east of Sanssouci Palace; it was built between 1755 and 1764 under King Frederick the Great, a passionate collector of paintings. The gallery is the oldest museum in Germany built specifically for a ruler. Due to the opening of the Altes Museum, part of the collection was transferred to Berlin in 1829. Most of the paintings were looted by the Soviet Army during the Second World War; while most of them returned in 1958, some remain in Russia today.

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   Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The Church of Peace in Potsdam. The Church of Peace (Friedenskirche) was built between 1845 and 1848. Its free-standing bell tower has seven open floors and four bells, reaching a height of  42 metres. The design of the tower was based on the Italian Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome. The Church of Peace is located in the Marly Garden in Potsdam; this town was one of the residences of the Prussian Kings and the German Imperial Family until 1918.

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   Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The Heilsbronn Porch of the Church of Peace (Friedenskirche) in Potsdam is an exact copy of a Romanesque porch. The Heilsbronn Porch is made of terracotta. The church was built between 1845 and 1854 and was based on Italian architectural models; it features an arcade that surrounds the courtyard. The Church of Peace is situated in the Marly Garden near the 'Green Fence' entrance of Park Sanssouci in Potsdam. This town is situated about 25 km southwest of Berlin in Germany.

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   Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: Interior of the Church of Peace (Friedenskirche). This church is situated within the Marly Garden, a part of Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. The church is a columned basilica and resembles an Italian monastery; it was consecrated in 1848. The 13th-century Venetian mosaic above the apse came from a dilapidated church in Murano, an island in the Venetian Lagoon. The altar canopy is made of Siberian jasper; it was a gift from Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. Beneath the church lies the Royal Crypt.

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   Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The Mausoleum of Kaiser Friedrich III and his consort Kaiserin Victoria in the Church of Peace in Potsdam. In the middle of the mausoleum stands the finely sculpted marble sarcophagus of Emperor Friedrich III and Empress Victoria of Germany; two of their sons, who died in infancy, are also interred in this mausoleum. The 18th-century Antique Temple in Sanssouci Park serves also as the final resting place for several members of the House of Hohenzollern, the former imperial dynasty of Germany. The small, round temple is not open to the public.

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   Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The Green Fence or the Green Gate near the Church of Peace in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. Sanssouci Park is an ensemble of palaces and gardens, originally laid out under King Frederick the Great in the 18th century. Sanssouci Palace is the heart of the park; it was the summer residence and favourite palace of King Frederick the Great. The Green Fence (Am Grünen Gitter) is the main entrance into Sanssouci Park. This fine park is embellished with fountains, follies, flower gardens and fruit gardens.

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    Cecilienhof Palace was built between 1914 and 1917. This palace was designed in the style of an English country house and was the last palace built in Potsdam by the Hohenzollern dynasty. It served as the residence of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany and his wife Cecilie. Cecilienhof Palace is world-famous as the site of the Potsdam Conference in 1945. The red flower star in the courtyard was created by Soviet forces that same year. The palace is situated in the northern section of the Neuer Garten (New Garden) in Potsdam.

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    Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The Neues Palais (New Palace) was built between 1763 and 1769. This imposing three-winged palace is situated in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam. The central part of the palace features four staterooms. The building houses a Rococo theatre built in the 18th century, which is still in use today. The Grottensaal (Grotto Hall) and the Marmorsaal (Marble Hall) are the most notable rooms of the palace. The roof is decorated with a dome; the roofline is adorned with countless statues. The grand palace was built in the Late Baroque style.

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    Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The Neues Palais (New Palace) in Potsdam was built under King Frederick the Great between 1763 and 1769. For the king, this huge palace was not his principal residence; he only used it for the reception of important royals and dignitaries; he preferred to live in the much smaller Sanssouci Palace, his favourite palace. Later, the Neues Palais served as the residence of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor. Both palaces are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin.

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    Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The huge ballroom of the Neues Palais in Potsdam. After the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918, he fled into exile in the Netherlands. Following his flight, he had sixty-four train wagons full of 18th-century furniture, paintings and silverware shipped to Huis Doorn, his residence in the Netherlands. The majority of this imperial furniture was rediscovered in the Netherlands in 1970; still in its packing crates, it returned to Potsdam, and now the Neues Palais looks exactly as it did in 1918. The furniture he left behind in the Neues Palais was looted by the Soviet Army during the Second World War.

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    Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: The private bathroom of Empress Augusta Victoria in the Royal apartments of the Neues Palais in Potsdam. Empress Augusta Victoria was the wife of Emperor Wilhelm II, the last emperor of Germany. The royal bath was integrated into one of the fitted wardrobes; the walls were excessively decorated with hand-painted Dutch Delft Blue tiles. Following the abdication of the German emperor Wilhelm II in 1918, the Neues Palais became a museum.

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    The Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin: Sanssouci Palace was built for King Frederick the Great between 1745 and 1747. This Rococo palace was the favourite palace of Frederick the Great. He died in Sanssouci Palace in 1786 and was later buried in the forecourt of the palace, next to his much beloved dogs. Sanssouci is often considered the German rival to the Palace of Versailles in France, but it is far smaller. Sans souci means 'living without worries'. Sanssouci Palace is undoubtedly the most renowned palace of all the palaces in Potsdam and Berlin.