October 10, 2013
On what would have been my mother’s 82nd birthday
I arrived in her native country, although she never really self-identified as
German. I am in Potsdam to speak at a German genetics conference. As per my
usual routine to combat jet-lag, I took a walking tour of the historical center
of Potsdam, which has been occupied since the Bronze age.
Most of the striking
architecture dates from the 1700s, and is the work of King Friedrich Wilhelm I
(also known as the “Soldier King”), or his son, Friedrick II (Frederick the
Great). With the former ruler, Potsdam became the center of the Prussian
kingdom and housed thousands of soldiers. The buildings on the right and left sides of the photo below are the former garrisons.
With the latter ruler, Potsdam became the
full-time residence of the Prussian Royal family, resulting in the construction
of the famous Sans Souci (“Carefree”) Palace that I shall visit on Saturday. Below is the so-called "New Palace" that is part of the enormous Sans Souci Park.
Moving into the 20th century, Potsdam’s
Garrison Church was the site of an important ceremonial handshake between Adolf Hitler and
President Paul von Hindenburg in 1933. This was supposed to symbolize a merger
between military strength and the Nazi party. The British bombed the church in
1945. It remained in ruins when Potsdam was part of East Germany, but it is
currently under reconstruction.
I don’t think it was a coincidence that Harry
Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin met in Potsdam for 3 weeks in the
summer of 1945 to decide the future of post-war Germany and Europe. After the
reunification of Germany in 1989, Potsdam became the capital of the state of
Brandenburg. A new state government building is being built, and it will be an
exact replica of the City Palace.
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