The Prussia cultural holiday.....

Ive always wanted to see the palaces and trappings of the royalty of Prussia, now present day Germany. These kings and queens lived a life of luxury filling the town of Potsdam in present day Brandenburg, Germany with palaces, parks, statues and fountains.

I finally went to see it all in June this year.

Potsdam has the same status that Windsor has in the U.K and Versailles has in France.
A royal residence away from the respective capitals - surprisingly everyone knows where Windsor and Versaille are and what they represent but few have heard of Potsdam.

Potsdam is a beautiful city, so meticulously done up and its hard to believe it was in such a bad state when it was behind the iron curtain from 1945 to 1990. There are few signs of the grey colourless world of the German Democratic Republic. You do see tall high rise council flats surrounding the city but even these have been spruced up.

Berlin, of course this city is amazing, seeing the two halves of the former divided city join together - walking around Berlin is like walking through 5 different cities.

You have Berlin buildings from the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) the Third Reich (1933–1945),
East Berlin (Soviet Puppets 1945 to 1990) West Berlin (Allied American British and French 1945 to 1990) and finally the new Berlin (1990 to the present)

This city has survived so many moments but it has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of hatred and war. It is the here and now, past and future.

Dresden was almost destroyed in World war two, now it is rebuilding, 20 years after the iron curtain it is still going through a long process of reconstruction and rebuilding.

The baroque buildings are burned black from World War two. I feel this city lost its soul in 1945

and it will take many years not just its appearance but the people who live day by day as well.

anyways, enjoy my photos!

x