Our cruise holiday along the river Elbe brims with discoveries. One daytrip introduces Potsdam’s captivating past, beginning with Cold War history at Glienicke Bridge.
“After WWII, the Havel River divided East Germany from West Berlin. Only those with authorized passes could cross this historic bridge into Potsdam,” recounts guide Hannah. “And until the 1980s, secret agents were routinely exchanged here on this famed Bridge of Spies. In one highly publicized 1962 exchange, U2 pilot Gary Powers was traded for a Soviet spy.”
A tree-lined avenue leads onward to nearby Sanssouci, Germany’s largest World Heritage Site. Meandering along shaded pathways, we admire lovely themed gardens filled with exotic plants, classical marble sculptures and decorative columns. And crowning a terraced green hillside ahead, Sanssouci palace soon comes into view.
Climbing 132 stairs, we take a closer look. The single-storey, yellow-gold palace conjures lighthearted fun. Grape clusters, wine god Bacchus and companions mingle with white-trimmed windows. Cherubs perch near oval windows; symmetrical rows of trees screen two staff side-wings. And below the central dome’s green roof, gilded letters spell Sans Souci.
“Frederick the Great designed this rococo palace himself, completing it by 1745,” Hannah reports. “And preferring to speak French, he named his private residence Sanssouci, meaning without cares.” This summer retreat allowed him total relaxation, an escape from demands of the court … and women!
Hannah notes, “Frederick’s nephew successor ignored his wishes for burial at his favourite residence. After German reunification, Frederick’s grave was relocated alongside his loyal greyhounds here above the terraced vineyard. The simple, potato-strewn gravestone recalls his introduction of this crop to Prussia and how much he’d loved eating them.
In the foyer, Goddess Flora drops flowers from the painted sky ceiling. Venus, goddess of nature, and Apollo, god of the arts, flank the reception hall doorway. Elaborate gilded swirls trim walls and painted panels. Scenes of pastoral bliss by 18th-century French artists decorate the sumptuous dining room. In one famous painting, Frederick plays his flute with an orchestra. Even Bach once entertained here, accompanying the king on one of several harpsichords.
Ten principal rooms provided intimate spaces for easy, pleasurable living. Lavish guestrooms include old Fritz’s bedchamber. Next-door, exotic birds and flower garlands adorn Voltaire’s room. French literature, including his good philosopher friend Voltaire’s writings, fill Frederick’s circular library. From the back plaza’s semicircular colonnade, we marvel at distant mock Roman ruins, an ornamental folly installed at great expense.
Aboard our coach to Potsdam’s old quarter, Hannah tells us that over 300 years ago, Prussian kings welcomed Dutch and French Huguenot immigrants. “They helped transform the once walled garrison outpost into a beautiful city sometimes compared to Versailles, and Potsdam became home to the Hohenzollern dynasty.”
Strolling into old town from near St. Peter and St. Paul Church, we pass boutiques, cafes and street musicians along Brandenburger Strasse. At one end of this pedestrian promenade, we find a small Brandenburg Gate, the triumphal arch marking Frederick’s Seven Years War victory. Nauener Gate still borders the Dutch neighbourhood of picturesque courtyards, offbeat bars and avant-garde galleries.
Our final stop reveals Cecilienhof, completed in 1917 for Crown Prince William and wife Cecilie. This represents the last palace built by German royals. The Tudor-style country house uniquely disguises a surprising 176 rooms and multiple courtyards. When WWII ended, the victorious allies held the 1945 Potsdam Conference at Cecillienhof. For two weeks, Churchill, Truman and Stalin met to decide how best to partition postwar Germany. Their conference room and work areas are regularly open to the public.
This informative excursion ends boarding Astrild, our Viking riverboat base for further adventures.
When You Go: Viking www.vikingrivercruisescanada.com/content/elbe/
