Potsdam and Deutsches Historisches Museum

Cecilienhof courtyard with Soviet star flowers

Last Friday my program had a daylong excursion to the city Potsdam, located about 15 miles southwest of central Berlin.  I was looking forward to this trip for several reasons.  For one, I had yet to actually leave Berlin's city limits since arriving in Europe a few weeks ago and was excited to see another place in Germany, even if it was so local.  Secondly, I was excited to visit Schloss Cecilienhof, the site of the famous 1945 Potsdam Conference following the World War II, and soak up all of its history.  Finally, I was especially looking forward to seeing Sanssouci, the summer palace of Prussian King Frederick the Great.

Completed in 1917, Cecilienhof was built for Hohenzollern (German ruling family until the end of World War I) Crown Prince Wilhelm in honor of his wife Duchess Cecilie.  After World War II, the palace lay abandoned until the conquering Soviets refurnished it in preparation of the upcoming Potsdam Conference.  Held in late July and early August 1945, representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union met to decide the fate of Germany.  Participants at the conference included President Harry Truman, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Atlee.  It was at this conference that Germany was split up into four occupation zones: a Soviet zone to the east, an American zone to the south, a British zone to the north, and a French zone to the west.  Among other agreements, Germany's industrial and war potential was to be dismantled and all of Germany's European annexations prior to and during World War II (most notably Austria, Alsace-Lorraine, Sudetenland, and western Poland) were to be reversed.  Some say that the beginnings of the Cold War can be traced to this very conference.  The division of Europe into Soviet influence in the east and American influence in the west began to take shape with the partitioning of Germany, eventually leading to the formation of two separate German governments.  It was also at Potsdam that President Truman learned of the successful atomic bomb testing at Alamogordo, New Mexico and authorized its usage against Japan.

Being able to tour such rooms as the great hall and Stalin, Truman, and Churhill's offices was an experience I will never forget.  The palace has been preserved with all of the furnishings from the conference, making it feel like I had stepped back in time when I entered.  One such original furnishing is a large red star of flowers in the courtyard, which was planted by the Soviets in anticipation of the conference.  Supposedly the Soviets placed Truman's office next to the courtyard so that every time he entered and exited the palace he would have to look at the red star.

Sanssouci 

After Cecilienhof we headed to Sanssouci, which was completed in 1747.  French for "without concerns", King Fredrick the Great would come to this palace for relaxation during his summers.  Despite its imposing facade, the palace itself is actually not that large, containing only 10 rooms.  Compared to the Palace of Versailles in France and its 700 rooms, to which it often is, Sanssouci is much more like a large villa.  The interior of Sanssouci is beautiful and extravagant.  The guest bedroom often reserved for the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire, for example, has bright yellow walls and carvings of apes, flowers, fruits, and birds throughout the room.  The most spectacular aspect of Sanssouci, however, was the incredible terraced gardens that lead up from Sanssouci Park to the palace.  Although I have seen pictures of the palace looking up from the fountain in the garden, actually standing there and taking in the majesty of the palace was simply breathtaking.  If I never return to Sanssouci again in my life, that image will still remain imprinted in my memory.  Following our visit to Sanssouci, I grabbed a bite to eat with some friends in old town Potsdam, which was quaint and very old-European looking.

Deutsches Historisches Museum on Unter den Linden

Posters urging children to join the Hitler Youth

This morning I visited the Deutsches Historisches Museum on the famous avenue Unter den Linden ("Under the Linden Trees"), right down the street from the Brandenburg Gate.  This impressive museum chronicles the history of Germany from its early roots up until present day.  Divided into two main sections, I spent around 3 hours closely examining the exhibits in the section covering German history from 1918 to today.  Included in this section of the museum were various artifacts pertaining to Germany's hardships following its defeat in World War I, its stabilization during the late years of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich, its experience during World War II, the period of occupation after the war, the years of divided Germany from 1949-1990, and its history since reunification of West and East Germany in 1990.  For a nation with such a troubled past, the DHM does a great job to present German history in an objective and fair way.  I partially expected a more restricted view into some of Germany's most guilt-ridden memories, namely the rise of the Nazis to power and their implementation of the Holocaust.  The museum, however, did not try to shirk such ugly stains on Germany's past, something that I certainly appreciated.

Faces of victims of Auschwitz death camp

This upcoming weekend is sure to be an exciting one, with scheduled excursions to Sachenhausen (Nazi concentration camp just north of Berlin), the Berlin Wall's East Side Gallery, and a soccer match between Hertha Berlin vs FC Augsburg of Germany's Bundesliga.  Next post should come sometime after this weekend.


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