Postdam, Germany

After returning to Berlin, we took the train to Potsdam for a day trip.  Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg.  Located on the River Havel, Potsdam is about 15 miles southwest of Berlin (and a short train ride).  Potsdam was the city of residence of the Prussian kings and German Kaisers until 1918 and is considered to have a similar status in Germany to Windsor in the United Kingdom.

Looking across the Havel river to St. Nicholas' Church on the Alter Markt

The Old Market Square (Alter Markt) is Potsdam's historical city center.  For three centuries, Alter Markt was the site of the city palace (stadtschloss), a royal palace built in 1662.  The palace was damaged in 1945 during WWII and demolished in 1961 by the Communist authorities.  Today Alter Markt is dominated by the St. Nicholas Church and Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus).

Altes Rathaus was built in 1755 by Dutch architect, Jan Bouman

Potsdam's Dutch Quarter

The two street Dutch Quarter was built by dutch architect, Jan Bouman between 1734 and 1742.  It was to be used by Dutch artisans and craftsmen invited by Frederick Wilhelm I to settle in the area.

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul 

The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul stands at the eastern end of Brandenburger Strasse.  It was built between 1867 and 1870 with Byzantine and Roman stylistic elements.  It was the first Catholic church in Potsdam.  Inside are three paintings by Antoine Pesne, considered one of the greatest artists of the Baroque and Rococo styles.  

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

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Old Town looking toward Nauener Tor

Nauener Tor is one of the three preserved gates of the city of Potsdam.  It was built in 1755 by Johann Gottfried Buering and is one of the earliest examples of English Gothic Revival Architecture in Continental Europe.  The gate was constructed based on a sketch by Frederick II of Prussia.  Originally the three gates, Nauener Tor, Brandenburger Tor and Jaegertor, were connected by a wall.  Today, they are connected only by a promenade.  

Brandenburger Tor from the "field side"

Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate), not to be confused with Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, stands at the western end of Brandenburger Strasse facing the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul at the eastern end.  Brandenburger Tor was built in 1770 and 1771 by Carl von Gontard and Georg Christian Unger, by order of Frederick II.  Brandenburger Tor, along with the other 2 gates, was intended to prevent desertion and smuggling.  Prior to the construction Brandenburg Gate, there was a smaller, more simple gate standing in the same place, but towards the end of the Seven Years War, Frederick the Great had the new Roman Style gate built in it's place as a symbol of his victory.  

Brandenburger Tor from the "city side"

The two sides of the gate, the field side and the city side, were designed by two different architects in two different styles.  Carl von Gontard designed the city side as a rendered facade with Corinthian style lesenes and trophies.  His pupil, Georg Christian Unger, designed the field side in the style of the Arch of Constantine with Corinthian double-columns and ornamentation like the golden trumpets.  The two pedestrian walkways were not added until 1843, under Frederick IV, to cope with the increase in pedestrian traffic.  The gate has been a free standing structure since the wall was demolished around 1900.  

Two kilometers west of the Potsdam city center sits Sanssouci Park.  King Frederick the Great ordered construction of residences in what is now Sanssouci Park in 1774.  In French, sans souci means "without worries," and Frederick the Great wanted to live here without worries.  At the time the palace was surrounded by nurseries and gardens that contained flowers and several thousand fruit trees.

Part of the Green Gate in Sanssouci Park

Flower Garden in Sanssouci Park

Garden in Sanssouci Park

The Sanssouci Palace is the former summer residence of Frederick the Great.  The palace was designed and built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747.  King Frederick wanted a place where he could go to relax and get away.  Unlike many other palaces, Sanssouci is only a large, single-story villa.  The style of the palace is considered Frederician Rococo because it was built and decorated in the style of King Frederick's personal taste.  

Sanssouci Palace

Frederick did not accept suggestions from his architect, including Knobelsdorff's suggestion that the palace have a semi-basement story to give the palace a commanding presence and prevent dampness.  Knobelsdorff was eventually fired because of a disagreement on the location of the palace, and it was finished by Jan Bouman.

Great Fountain and Vineyard Garden at Sanssouci Palace

Frederick regularly spent summers at the palace throughout his lifetime, but the palace remained empty after his death.  Nearly 100 years later, Frederick Wilhelm IV moved into the guest rooms with his wife.  They kept the furniture that was there and replaced missing pieces with furniture from Frederick's time.  Frederick Wilhelm IV turned the palace into a fully-functioning country house, which required enlarging the service wings.  Frederick had not wanted to make repairs and have the palace serviced because of his wish that the palace would only last his lifetime.

View of the Vineyard Garden and Great Fountain from the Palace

Sanssouci Palace

Frederick Wilhem IV also commissioned the building of the Orangery Palace.  Two architects, Freidrich August Stueler and Ludwig Ferdinand Hesse, were hired to turn Frederick IV's drawings into  a reality.  It was built in the Italian Renaissance style.

Orangery Palace

Orangery Palace

The middle building (shown above) with its twin towers is the actual palace.  It is joined to the 103 m plant hall.

At the end of the Seven Years War, Frederick the Great had the New Palace (Neues Palais) built to celebrate Prussia's success.  Built between 1763 and 1769, the palace is considered the last great Prussian Baroque Palace.  In stark contrast to the Sanssouci palace, Frederick wanted to display power and glory in the New Palace.  It was not a regular residence for the King but a demonstration of his power.

Looking towards the New Palace

The palace fell into disuse after the death of Frederick the Great in 1786 but later became the summer residence of German Emperor Frederick Wilhelm III.  Frederick III had been the crown prince for 27 years, but only reigned as emperor for 99 days before his death, less than a year after the death of his father.  He was succeeded by his son, William II.

Neues Palais

At the time of our visit, the gardens at the New Palace had not yet been planted for the summer.  The gardens at the many palaces we visited were at varying stages of replanting as they must be replanted every summer.  Inside the palace are a theatre and four gathering rooms that were used for balls and state occasions during Frederick the Great's lifetime.

New Palace from the other side

Charlottenhof Palace is a small neoclassical palace built by Frederick Wilhelm IV in place of an existing farm house.  The land was given to Frederick IV and his wife, Elizabeth as a Christmas gift by Frederick III.

Charlottenhof Palace

The Roman baths of melded Roman and antiquated Italian styles were created by Frederick Wilhelm IV between 1829 and 1840.  Frederick IV came up with ideas and drew the actual drafts.  To build the baths, he hired architect, Karl Freidrich Schinkel, who he also hired to build Charlottenhof Palace.

The Roman Baths

The Chinese House (Chinesisches Haus) was designed and built by architect Johann Gottfried Buering 1755 and 1764 (it took nine years because of the Seven Years War).  The building was used for small gatherings.

Chinese House, Sanssouci Park

If you're ever in Berlin, Potsdam is definitely worth the short trip.  Old town, with its many restaurants and cafes, along with the old city gates, is a fun place to hang out, and you don't want to miss Sanssouci Park, with its many palaces and beautiful gardens.  We were in awe by the shear size of Sanssouci Park.

Dresden, Germany

Dresden by Night

Dresden is a quaint town about 2 hours south of Berlin.  We left Prague after dinner, and drove to Dresden in the dark.  While looking for our hotel (the one that we wanted to stay in... we hadn't actually reserved a room yet), we saw a beautiful view of the City of Dresden so after checking in, we walked back to take a photo.  Unfortunately it was after just midnight so the lights on a few of the buildings had just gone out.  On our way back to the hotel, we went on a search for ice cream, but didn't find any.  However, we did find several live bands.

Dresden is the capital of the free state of Saxony in Germany.  It sits on the Elbe River not far north of the Czech border.  Dresden was known as the Jewel Box because of it's baroque and rococo city center.  Unfortunately, the entire city center was destroyed when the city was bombed by the Allies near the end of World War II.  Parts of the city center have been reconstructed, but the bombing, along with 40 years of the Communist reign,  considerably changed the face of the city.

Dresden Frauenkirche

The morning after we arrived, it was raining (lightly), but we ventured out anyway.  We were only out for a few minutes before it started raining harder, but I did manage to take a few photos of the Dresden Frauenkirche before we headed back to the hotel.

The Dresden Frauenkirche was originally constructed between 1726 and 1743 but was destroyed in 1945 during WWII.  It was reconstructed and has been open since 2005.  The church and the Neumarkt Square surrounding it are to regain their status as the historical center of the city.  Neumarkt Square is being gradually reconstructed to follow its former opulent baroque design.  It was originally built in 1548 but was seriously damaged during the seven years war.  The square was later rebuilt in the simpler late baroque style.

Not long before I went to Germany, I saw a post about a building in the art district of Dresden that plays music when it rains.  I didn't know if we would be able to visit Dresden, and if we did, I didn't expect it to be raining.  Since it was, we decided to head to Neustadt Kunsthofpassage to see the singing house created by sculptor Annette Paul and designers Christoph Rossner and Andre Tempel, who all live in the musical home.

The Courtyard of Elements, home to the singing house, is also home to a building with a yellow facade with aluminum panels (above), representing the light and another with a green facade adorned with giraffes and monkeys representing the animals.  The rain stopped as we were looking for the singing house so after seeing it, we headed back to the city center.

Semper Opera House

The Semper Opera House (Semperoper) in Dresden is the most famous opera house in Germany.  It houses the Saxon State Orchestra, one of the oldest and best-known orchestras in the world.  The opera house was built between 1838 and 1841.  It closed in August of 1944 and was destroyed 6 months later in the Allied attacks.  It was reconstructed and reopened again in 1985.

Zwinger Palace

The Zwinger, designed by court architect Matthaeus Daniel Poeppelmann, was constructed in stages from 1710 to 1728.  It was originally designed as an orangery and a setting for court festivities.  

Zwinger Palace

The name derives from the German word Zwinger (outer ward of a concentric castle).  It was for the cannons placed between the outer wall and the major wall.  The Zwinger was not enclosed until the Semper Gallery, designed by Gottfried Semper, was built on the norther side between 1847 and 1855.

Dresden Royal Palace and Cathedral

Dresden's royal palace was once the hub of power for the Saxon princes and kings.  It was first mentioned in the 14th century as a castle complex and the four-winged structure was developed in the 15th century.  It was destroyed by fire in 1701 and was reconstructed under Augustus the Strong.  The palace once again burned down in the WWII attacks, and most of the valuable interior furnishings were lost.  It was reconstructed in 1985 as a museum

Hofkirche from the Front

The cathedral, Hofkirche, is Dresden's youngest baroque building.  The Hofkirche was constructed between in the baroque style between 1739 and 1755 by Italian architect Gaetano Chiaveri.  The Hofkirche has been the Cathedral of the Dresden-Meissen Diocese since 1980.

Kreuzkirche

The Kreuzkirche was built in the late baroque and early Classiscistic style between 1764 and 1800.  The church is the home of the Kreuzchor boy's choir, whose tradition reaches back more than 700 years.

Inside the Kreuzkirche

Fuerstenzug

The Fuerstenzug is a large mural of a mounted procession of the rulers of Saxony.  It was originally painted between 1871 and 1876.  To make the work waterproof, it was replaced with Meissen porcelain tiles between 1904 and 1907 (approximately 23,000 of them).  It's located on the outer wall of the Stallhof (stables courtyard) of Dresden Castle.

We only spent a few hours exploring Dresden, but it was another city worth the visit (and another city that we could have spent much more time exploring).  After spending a few hours exploring, we continued back to Berlin, where there was much more to see!

Czech Republic: Brno and Prague

Prague, Czech Republic - Looking across the Vltava River

I've been back in the U.S. for almost a month, and I'm still working on these posts... and I still have lots more to share.  We saw so many amazing things that it's hard to sift through it all, not to mention the time it takes to look up information on what we actually saw!

On our way back to Germany, we drove through the Czech Republic and made stops in Brno and Prague (Praha in Czech).  Some websites advised against driving through the Czech Republic because of bad roads and poorly placed road signs, but it was the shortest route back to Berlin (and I REALLY wanted to go to Prague).  That night we did nearly get lost because of detour that directed us off of the highway, but we found our way back to the highway and into Germany.  Prague was worth the trip (even with the roads and even though we had to do a currency exchange because the Czech Republic hasn't made the switch the Euro yet)!

Brno:  Prague was the highlight of our drive through the Czech Republic, but before Prague, we stopped in Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic.  We were there for a very short time and didn't see that much of the city, but it was an interesting city to visit.

Brno, Czech Republic - Liberty Square

Liberty Square, above, was the main square during the Middle Ages.  Brno has been inhabited since the prehistoric era.  The direct ancestor of Brno was a fortified settlement of the Great Moravia Empire, inhabited from the Neolithic Era to the early 11th century.

Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul

Driving into the city of Brno, it is impossible to miss the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, which rests on top of the Petrov hill.  The chapel was founded on the Petrov hill in the 11th century.  It has undergone many changes since which have resulted in the Gothic Cathedral that can be seen on the hill today.

The bell at the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul is traditionally rung at 11 a.m. rather than noon.  Legend is that during the Thirty Years' War, the invading Swedes had promised to call off their attack if they had not succeeded in taking the city by midday on the 15th of August.  With the battle underway, some citizens rang the bell an hour early, which fooled the Swedes into breaking off the attack and leaving empty handed.  History tells us that Brno was the only city to effectively ward off the Swedes during the war.

Looking toward the City from the Petrov Hill

Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul

Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul on the Petrov hill

Prague:  After our short stop in Brno, we continued North through the Czech Republic to Prague.  I was intrigued by the idea of visiting Prague after seeing it on TV in shows such as HGTV's House Hunters (HGTV can make any city sound intriguing), though I wasn't totally sure what the draw was.  I'm so glad we made the trip!

Prague, looking toward the Prague Castle from the Vltava River

Crossing the Charles Bridge heading into Old Town

Prague, founded during the Romanesque and flourishing by the Gothic and Renaissance eras, is the historical capital of Bohemia Proper.  Prague was not only the capital of the Czech state but also the seat of two Holy Roman Emperors.  It was an important city to the Habsburg Monarchy and its Austro-Hungarian Emperor.  After World War 1, it became the capital of Czechoslovakia.  The city also played major roles in the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, during both World Wars and the post-war Communist era.

Prague Castle

The Prague Castle, one of the most important sights in Prague, has been the home of the offices of the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and the Presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.  The castle is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest ancient castle in the world.  The history of the castle dates back to the 9th century, when the first walled building, the Church of the Virgin Mary was built (today only the foundations of the church survive).

Basilica of Saint Vitus 

Basilica of St. George

The Basilica of Saint Vitus and the Basilica of St. George were founded during the reign of Vratislav during the first half of the 10th century.  Both churches are located within the Prague Castle.  

The Basilica of St. George, originally founded in 920, now houses the 19th century Bohemian Art Collection and also serves as a concert hall.  The Baroque facade dates from the late 17th century.

The two photos above show the front view of the St. Vitus Cathedral.  

We walked into the main entrance of the Prague Castle and through a courtyard and then through another archway that opened up to the Basilica Saint Vitus, a grand Gothic cathedral.  The cathedral is so close to the wall that you can't see its entire face at one time.  The original cathedral, founded in 925 was an early Romanesque rotunda.  In 1060, prince Spytihnev II embarked on building a more spacious church because the existing rotunda was not spacious enough to accomodate the patrons.  The present day Gothic cathedral was founded in November of 1344 and building continued for hundreds of years, with several architects, most notably Peter Parler who also designed the Charles bridge and the Frauenkirche in Nuremberg, Germany.

Like many other churches in the region, the Basilica Saint Vitus is currently being cleaned and restored.

Entrance to the Prague Castle

View from Prague Castle

Changing of the Guard

Two more noteworthy churches sit in Prague's Old Town Square, the gothic, two towered, Church of Our Lady Before Tyn sits directly behind street buildings that house restaurants on their first floors.  We walked through an alleyway to see the church only to find that the church has actually been built into the buildings in front of it.  Although it is impossible to see the much of the front of the church, the gothic towers, peaking above the other buildings and rising into the sky, are a stark contrast in the mostly baroque style town square.  The second of these churches is the baroque style, St. Nicholas Church (shown below).  The square is also home to the Prague Astronomical Clock (also shown below).  The clock was originally installed in 1410 and is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world.

Old Town Square

St. Nicholas Church

Prague Astronomical Clock built into the Old City Hall

Old City Hall