Brandenburg sights
Marble Palace Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam Einstein Tower Rathenow Museum Lie Palace Zetzilienhof Palace Sans-Susi Tomb of Frederick the Great
This site contains Brandenburg sights – photos, descriptions and travel tips. The list is based on popular travel guides and presented by type, name and rating. Here you’ll find answers to what to see in Brandenburg, where to go, and where to find popular and interesting places in Brandenburg.
Marble Palace
The Marble Palace in Potsdam was the early classicist residence of Friedrich Wilhelm II.
The palace was completed by the architects Karl von Gontard and Karl Gottgard Langgans (author of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin) in 1792. The building is a two-story square building made of red brick. The facade of the building is decorated with gray and white marble, which gave the palace its name. On the roof is a rotunda, from which it is most convenient to observe the beautiful view opening from the palace.
A few years after the construction of the castle began to expand. It was extended by side wings according to the design of Michael Philippe Bowman. Ludwig Ferdinand Hesse decorated the outhouses from the inside.
The palace is now a museum and has been open to the public since 1932.
Coordinates: 52.41294300,13.06952500
Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam
The Small Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam is 18 years older than the famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
The gate was built to commemorate the victory in the Seven Years’ War in 1770 by order of Frederick the Great, designed by architects Georg Christian Unger and Carl von Gontard. Therefore, the gateway resembles the ancient Roman triumphal arch. Indeed, the building was modeled on the Arch of Constantine in Rome.
The arch has two different facades which were worked on by two different architects: Gontard designed the facade facing the city and his pupil Unger created the outer facade. The arch is located on the west side of the Brandenburger Strasse, where the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul is located. The side aisles in the arch appeared in 1843.
Coordinates : 52.40045500,13.04815300
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Einstein Tower
Einstein Tower is also known as Mendelssohn Tower – it was Erich Mendelssohn who designed this unique building.
The building has a clear function – it serves to house a solar telescope. Therefore, the composition of the building is subject to special technical requirements and looks very unusual. Before beginning work on the structure, it was necessary first to focus the light, draw the beam vertically downwards and turn it 90 degrees below ground. Therefore, the building consists of a tower and a basement, two interconnected objects.
Inside, the tower is made of small fragments of cast concrete and masonry, which react differently to changes in temperature. The building is constantly having to be repaired. The first repair occurred as early as six years after construction was completed, in 1927.
Now there is an exhibition in the tower, which is dedicated to the place and role of Potsdam in world science.
Coordinates: 52.37921500,13.06394600
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Rathenow
The German city of Rathenow is located on the Hafel River, west of Berlin, about 70 kilometers. The geography of the city consists of 6 city districts – Getlin, Bene, Steckelsdorf and Neu-Friedrichsdorf.
The city is famous for its optics industry and its history dates back to 1801. At that time, Rathenow received its first lens grinding machine. Among other things, most of the buildings and structures in Berlin, built from Rathenow bricks, which is part of the local production.
In the city you can often meet tourists who come to admire the local sights, and there are plenty of them. One of them is the sand monument to Elector Friedrich Wilhelm. The city park Weinberg is adorned with the Bismarck Tower from 1914, opened in honor of politician Otto von Bismarck. Currently, after restoration, the tower is protected by the state and is accessible to tourists.
The ancient church of St. Marien-Andreas-Kirche in the Gothic style is among the other attractions of the city. There is a theater, a museum of the optical industry, and restaurants in the center of town. Another of Rathenow’s treasures is the Wolzensee Lake, a nature reserve.
For lovers of river walks, there is a pier and port on the river Hafel, from which interesting river excursions are offered.
Coordinates: 52.61180400,12.33616600
Museum of Lies
The creators of this institution proudly assure visitors that all exhibits in the halls are exclusively fakes. The deception begins with the building itself in the form of an ancient castle, which was actually built quite recently. The museum has ten rooms, each filled with original exhibits.
The collection of the museum is quite interesting, because among the exhibits are absolutely “unique items. Here and the carpet-plane in action, cut ear of Van Gogh, the radio station from the “Titanic” and personal belongings of its passengers, also there is a mustache of Hitler, a broom witch, a toy airplane that belonged to the future young Chancellor of Germany and even a mop, supposedly belonging to Stalin’s father. And this is not all, because the imagination of the creator of the museum is limitless.
In the past Reinhard Zabka is a well-known artist and dissident in Germany. He is convinced that the line between true and false in life is often blurred, and it is especially true in the field of art, because art itself is an illusion.
Feedback from visitors is mixed: some are delighted and some are more skeptical. There are such tourists who think the director is crazy and the exhibited objects – the usual garbage. In any case, if you find yourself in Germany, you need to visit this place. Rest assured – institutions of such a plan completely dispels the stereotypes that museums are always dull and boring and covered with dust.
Coordinates: 52.97447800,12.35065000
Caecilienhof palace
Caecilienhof Palace is famous for being the building where the Potsdam Conference was held in 1945.
The English village-style building was built at the expense of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1917 to a design by Paul Schulze-Naumburg for Wilhelm and his wife, Cecilia. The owners lived in the palace until their expulsion and nationalization of the building (1945).
The palace has 176 rooms, which are characterized by the modest elegance of expensive materials. Most of the rooms were decorated by Paul Ludwig Trost, who created the interiors on passenger ships.
The meetings of the Potsdam Conference were held in the Great Hall, in the middle of which the heads of the governments of the anti-Hitler coalition, Truman, Churchill, and Stalin, gathered around a round table brought from Moscow. It was in this building that Truman ordered the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima by telephone.
Now a part of the palace houses a hotel and a museum dedicated to the events of 1945.
Coordinates: 52.41959200,13.07102700
Palace of Sans Souci
The Palace of Sans-Souci (from the French “without a care”), which was built in the 18th century, belonged to Frederick the Great. Since 1990 the palace together with the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The design of the one-storey palace building with an oval pavilion in the center was developed by the king himself and implemented in reality the architect Georg Wenceslaus von Knobelsdorf. The palace and the adjoining vineyard terraces form the oldest part of the architectural ensemble. Friedrich practiced philosophy and music “without a care” within the walls of the palace.
Today the Sans Souci is a museum, which was one of the first palaces-museums in Germany. It was opened to the public in 1927. On the right and left sides of the palace are the Picture Gallery and the New Chambers. In the center of the palace is the Marble Hall with sculptures symbolizing Music, Astronomy, Painting, Architecture, and Sculpture.
Walking around the palace and the parks, enjoying the luxurious beauty of the interiors and exterior decorations, relaxing in the “Tea House”, you really feel a truly carefree life, in which Friedrich the Great lived.
Coordinates : 52.41100600,13.06411700
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Tomb of Frederick the Great
The tomb of Frederick the Great is located in the park next to the openwork gazebo near the magnificent Sans-Susi Palace in Brandenburg, Germany. It is an ordinary gravestone with the name of the great King of Prussia engraved on it.
Every day a few fresh potatoes are placed here as a tribute to the fact that Frederick the Great popularized this hearty and cheap dish in Germany. The king loved gardening and even had his palace above vineyards and greenhouses for gourds and figs.
Tourists consider it an honor to visit the tomb of the famous commander, each of them tries to bring something to honor the memory of Frederick the Great. Some people put here a laurel wreath – a symbol of youth and power, as the king was, some bring fresh flowers and a photo of Friedrich, and some put a bowl of wine, allegedly offering to drink the divine drink made in the vineyards planted by him in ancient times.
Coordinates : 52.40393700,13.03969500
The most popular attractions in Brandenburg with descriptions and photos for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Brandenburg on our website.
More sights in Brandenburg
Lake Krummer Pfuhl, Brandenburg, Germany Lake Gorin, Brandenburg, Germany Raddus Fortress, Brandenburg, Germany Picture Gallery Sans-Susi, Potsdam, Germany Lake Bauer, Brandenburg, Germany Lake Hell, Brandenburg, Germany
10 sights of Brandenburg on the Havel
The city of Brandenburg an der Havel, is located 50 kilometers from Berlin, on the Havel River. It is the largest city in the state of Brandenburg.
In this picturesque place in Germany, there are many lakes, historic churches, town hall, medieval wall. If you plan to visit Brandenburg an der Havel, here are the sights you must see:
1. the Brandenburg Cathedral.
The cathedral was erected in 1165 and is located on Cathedral Island. You can see the memorial chapel from 1953 which reminds us of the deaths that took place during the Second World War, the stained glass windows from the 13th century, the Romanesque crucifix, the Bohemian altar from the 14th century and the gravestones of the bishops. In the Cathedral Museum you can see a lot of medieval clothing.
2. Town Hall
Like almost every city in Germany, Brandenburg has a town hall in Brandenburg-Havel. It was built in 1470 and is a brick building in the Gothic style with a tower and patterns.
Another attraction is located right in front of the town hall, on the Market Square – a statue of the Knight Roland, which was put up in 1474. Statue is over 5 meters tall and will undoubtedly catch the attention of tourists.
3. St. Gotthardt Cathedral
The church was built in 1140 and is the oldest in the city. Unique is the emblem on the building made in Baroque style. There are Gothic triumphal cross from the 15th century, a tapestry from 1463 representing a unicorn hunt, an altar from 1559, and epitaphs from the 16th and 18th centuries.
4. State Archaeological Museum
In this museum you will see more than 10 thousand exhibits that give you a glimpse into the past of more than 50 thousand years. Among the most interesting things: weapons, jewelry, the world’s oldest woven net, and tools of labor. In addition to the exhibits, the museum is constantly hosting presentations and demonstrations using modern technology.
The museum itself is located in a medieval monastery that was built in 1286.
5. City Museum
In this museum you will see many exhibits that show the history of the city, a collection of European graphic art from the 16th to the 20th centuries, the works of Polish-German artist Daniel Chodowiecki, artifacts from the waterways, and more.
The museum is divided into two parts and so are the exhibits. The first part you will see in the building of 1423 Frey-Haus, and the second part in the Steintorturm tower.
6. City Walls
Lovers of old buildings should definitely take a walk to the city walls. They are in good condition, as are the city gates and towers. It is said that the walls, most of which date back to the 14th century, are the oldest in central Germany.
7. Church of St. Catherine
The church was built in 1395 and is located in the center of the new city. The architect of this building is Heinrich Brunsberg, for whom it was a real masterpiece. The church is made in the Gothic style of brick, with gorgeous gables. Inside you can see the magnificent Gothic altar from 1474, the altar of St. Hedwig from 1457 and the pulpit from 1668.
8. Friedenswarte
Friedenswarte tower is 32.5 meters high and offers a great view over the city. From this height you can take great pictures.
You have to climb 180 steps to the observation deck, but it is worth it – the panoramic view is wonderful.
After that you can go to Marienberg Park where the observation tower is located and where you can spend some time in nature.
9. Kloster-Lenin
Yes, yes, Lenin, but not the one in Russia. Kloster-Lenin is an abbey, a monastery founded in 1180 by Margrave Otto. The most interesting things you can see there are: the royal bedrooms, monks’ chambers, granary, ancient walls and gates with arches.
10. Museum of Industry
It is impossible to visit Germany and not take a look at its industry. In this museum you will see a hundred years of industrial history of Germany. The museum presents a unique, one-of-a-kind Siemens-Martin open-hearth furnace. In addition: laboratories, steelmaker’s house, forge, workshops.
Where to stay in the city?
Don’t know where to stay in Brandenburg-Havel? The hotel map will help you navigate and choose the best hotel.
