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Potsdam - Berlin Hotels .com

Picturesque Potsdam: Located to the southwest of Berlin, this city achieves its natural beauty from its 20 lakes and rivers -- including the Havel -- as well as a noteworthy 75 percent greenspace ratio, which keeps this historied city lush and beautiful. Like Berlin, Potsdam exists as an intriguing cohabitation of a many-layered past and an exciting present. As the former home of the Prussian royal family, the city is dotted with sumptuous, gorgeous palaces and intriguing historical architecture.

The most popular of the many palaces in the area is Park Sanssouci, built as a residence for King Frederick the Great in 1744. Other architectural and historical draws include the popular and charming Holländisches Viertel (Dutch Quarter), which features a unique ensemble of red-brick homes dating from the eighteenth century, originally built for the Dutch artisans. Or head to Alter Markt (the Old Market Square) for an architectural collection spanning the centuries, from the imposing Nikolaikirche (Nicolas Church), to Fortunaportal (the Gate of Fortune), which was built in the eighteenth century, badly damaged during World War II, and reconstructed in 2002.

Modern Potsdam makes its mark on the map as a great center of education, culture, and sciences. It has the greatest concentration of higher-education institutions and research facilities in Germany, making this city a major destination not only for tourists but for scholars and scientists as well.

URL: http://www.potsdam.de/cms/ziel/26670/EN/