May 5, 2017
Potsdam is the capital and largest city of the German Federal State of Brandenburg. As a Prussian city of royal residence until 1918, a city wall with 5 gates, 3 of which are still standing – Nauen Gate, Hunter’s Gate and Brandenburg Gate – once surrounded it.
The Brandenburg Gate was built in 1770 as a symbol of victory for Prussia after the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763). King Frederick II ordered German architects Carl von Gontard and Georg Christian Unger to create a grander baroque-style gate in place of an older wooden gate at the same location. The Dutch Quarter is another Potsdam landmark, consisting of about 150 red brick houses built in the Dutch style. Graffiti can be seen around the area, as Potsdam recognizes it as a form of art in public space, and even provides legal graffiti surfaces to young artists.
