Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the new federal states that was recreated after the reunification of East and West Germany. Its capital is the beautiful city of Potsdam.
Potsdam alone is certainly worth a visit. Due to its close proximity to Berlin, you can reach it by train in less than thirty minutes. Many rich and famous people who work in Berlin prefer to live in the relatively calm and less crowded Potsdam. A notable example would be the famous fashion designer Wolfgang Joop, the founder of the JOOP! fashion label and father of the fashion designer Jette Joop.
Potsdam used to be the residence of the Prussian kings and the German Kaisers. Around the city. you'll find a series of interconnected lakes.
It is famous for the palace of Sanssouci, the former summer residence of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. It's the largest World Heritage site in Germany. Its name comes from the French term “sans souci”, which means without concerns. It's often referred to as Germans answer to Versailles in France. The huge park with all his buildings, like the greenhouses and the Chinese House, is a great place to spend an afternoon. The terraced gardens are just beautiful and you should see them if you have the time.
You'll find all kind of different architectural styles there. Even the water pumping station has an unique look. It was designed after a Turkish mosque. The chimney looks like minaret.
Another interesting site in Potsdam is the Filmstudio Babelsberg. It's the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. It used to be a major movie production studio before the second World War and has become one of the major centers of European film making after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The silent movie masterpiece Metropolis was shot there. In recent years, some very succesfull films have been made there too. The list includes movies like “V for Vendetta”, the “Bourne” movies, “The Reader” with Kate Winslet, Quentin Tarantino's “Inglourious Bastards”, and Roman Polanski's “The Ghost Writer”. You can take a tour if you want and learn all about this film studio.
Another UNESCO World Heritage site is the Russian colony of Alexandrowka, a small enclave of Russian architecture. You'll even find an Orthodox chapel there. It was build in 1825 for a group of Russian immigrants.
If you prefer to see untouched nature, Brandenburg has more than 10 nature parks, 3 biosphere reserves and one national park…or should we say International park? The Lower Oder Valley National Park is a shared German-Polish nature reserve. If you like hiking, this place is definitely for you. It features over 160 square-meters of untouched forests and interesting scenery.
The biggest nature park in Brandenburg is the Westhavelland Nature Park. It covers an area of over 1,300 square kilometers.
If you like lakes, you'll be happy to hear that in Brandenburg, there are over 800 of them. The biggest lake is the Schwielochsee. The other lakes like Scharmützelsee, Parsteiner See, Unteruckersee, Schwielowsee, Werbellinsee, and Grimnitzsee are all worth a visit as well.
Whatever you chose to do in Brandenburg, I'm sure you wont be disappointed. Even if you just planned to visit Berlin, think about a short trip to Brandenburg. It's well worth it!
All the best,
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