Cecilienhof Palace, Potsdam (must see)
Cecilienhof Palace (Schloss Cecilienhof) is a historic palace located in Potsdam. Constructed between 1914 and 1917, Cecilienhof was the last palace built by the House of Hohenzollern, which ruled over the Kingdom of Prussia and later the German Empire until the end of World War I. The palace is renowned for its role in world history as the site of the Potsdam Conference in 1945, where leaders from the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States gathered to make critical decisions that shaped the post-World War II world.
Designed in the style of an English Tudor manor house, Cecilienhof was inspired by various cottage and Tudor-style homes admired by Crown Prince Wilhelm, such as Bidston Court in Birkenhead, England, and Gelbensande Manor near Rostock, Germany. The palace's architectural style, characterized by its low structure and multiple courtyards, gives it a charming, understated appearance that belies its substantial size, housing a total of 176 rooms.
The interior of Cecilienhof was designed for Crown Prince and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with distinct areas like the central Ehrenhof courtyard, the intimate Prinzengarten, and surrounding courtyards. The ground floor featured public rooms centered around a great hall, with an oak stairway from Danzig. This floor included the Crown Prince's smoking room, library, and breakfast room, and a suite for the Duchess with a music salon and a cabin-like room by Paul Ludwig Troost, known for his ocean liner designs.
Cecilienhof is located in the northern part of Neuer Garten Park near Jungfernsee Lake. Originally designed in the late 18th century under King Frederick William II of Prussia, the park was later transformed into an English landscape garden by Peter Joseph Lenn茅. The park also features notable structures like the Marmorpalais, an orangery, an artificial grotto, the Gothic Library, and the Dairy in the New Garden, adding to its historical and architectural significance.
In 1990, Cecilienhof Palace and the surrounding parks were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognizing their cultural and historical importance as part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin.
Designed in the style of an English Tudor manor house, Cecilienhof was inspired by various cottage and Tudor-style homes admired by Crown Prince Wilhelm, such as Bidston Court in Birkenhead, England, and Gelbensande Manor near Rostock, Germany. The palace's architectural style, characterized by its low structure and multiple courtyards, gives it a charming, understated appearance that belies its substantial size, housing a total of 176 rooms.
The interior of Cecilienhof was designed for Crown Prince and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with distinct areas like the central Ehrenhof courtyard, the intimate Prinzengarten, and surrounding courtyards. The ground floor featured public rooms centered around a great hall, with an oak stairway from Danzig. This floor included the Crown Prince's smoking room, library, and breakfast room, and a suite for the Duchess with a music salon and a cabin-like room by Paul Ludwig Troost, known for his ocean liner designs.
Cecilienhof is located in the northern part of Neuer Garten Park near Jungfernsee Lake. Originally designed in the late 18th century under King Frederick William II of Prussia, the park was later transformed into an English landscape garden by Peter Joseph Lenn茅. The park also features notable structures like the Marmorpalais, an orangery, an artificial grotto, the Gothic Library, and the Dairy in the New Garden, adding to its historical and architectural significance.
In 1990, Cecilienhof Palace and the surrounding parks were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognizing their cultural and historical importance as part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Potsdam. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Cecilienhof Palace on Map
Sight Name: Cecilienhof Palace
Sight Location: Potsdam, Germany (See walking tours in Potsdam)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Potsdam, Germany (See walking tours in Potsdam)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Potsdam, Germany
Create Your Own Walk in Potsdam
Creating your own self-guided walk in Potsdam is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Potsdam Introduction Walking Tour
Potsdam was likely founded during the seventh century by the Hevelli tribe. The town was mentioned by the name of Poztupimi in a document from Emperor Otto III. The name likely came from an old Western Slavonic term roughly meaning "beneath the oaks."
By the early 1300s, a small town had formed with a town charter. By 1573 the town had around 2,000 people living there. Potsdam rose to... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles
By the early 1300s, a small town had formed with a town charter. By 1573 the town had around 2,000 people living there. Potsdam rose to... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles
Neuer Garten Walking Tour
Laid out at the behest of Friedrich William II in 1787, Potsdam's Neuer Garten (New Garden) was indeed "new" compared to the already in place Sanssouci Park.
Between 1816 and 1828, the area was modified further as an English-style, open landscape garden, with an aim to reproduce nature 鈥� trees and plants were left to grow naturally, unshaped and untrimmed. Rural life was also... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Between 1816 and 1828, the area was modified further as an English-style, open landscape garden, with an aim to reproduce nature 鈥� trees and plants were left to grow naturally, unshaped and untrimmed. Rural life was also... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Sanssouci Park Walking Tour
Sanssouci Park is a unique Potsdam landmark that occupies 290 hectares in the heart of the city. The Park is named after the Sanssouci Palace that it surrounds, which in turn takes its name from the French phrase "sans souci", which means carefree, and implies that the palace was designated as a place of fun, rather than a seat of power.
Indeed, the Sanssouci Palace was built in 1747... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Indeed, the Sanssouci Palace was built in 1747... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles