A city of kings and emperors, Potsdam housed Prussia’s royal House of Hohenzollern (lit: ‘High-Taxer’) family on the edge of Berlin until the fall of German imperialism in 1918. While actually older than Berlin as a city settlement by around 300 years, Potsdam only began to rise to importance in the 1600s – with the growing power of Prussia. This city settlement would soon boast its own grand palace, following the acquisition of Potsdam by the Great Elector – Frederick William I – from the aristocratic Hake family.

Now often referred to as Berlin’s equivalent of Versailles, Potsdam has a collection of impressive palaces and gardens – mostly originating in the 18th and 19th centuries. The most famous of which being the Schloss Sanssouci – commissioned by Frederick the Great to act as his philosopher’s retreat away from the pomp and ceremony of the Prussian capital of Berlin.

Although Potsdam did not make it out of the Second World War unscathed, it retains much of its old-world splendour – visible in its luscious lakeside parks, castles, and its charming historical centre. It would also serve in 1945 as the location of the final conference of the war-time Allies – with Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and US President Harry S. Truman gathering at the Cecilienhof Palace to conduct 17 days of negotations that would come to define the Cold War landscape – and shape the framework of European and German discourse for decades to come.