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 Castle Tour, Potsdam, Germany
N 52° 23.591 E 013° 03.624
33U E 368021 N 5806540
Castle Tour, Potsdam, Germany
Waymark Code: WM5VH9
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 02/16/2009
Views: 32
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Potsdam, capital of the German federal state of Brandenburg is surrounded by lakes and there are a number of companies offering all kind of tours from one hour cruises to day trips to Berlin. Pretty much everybody agrees that the most rewarding tour is the Castle Tour, covering three lakes with close passages along some of Potsdam's most interesting buildings.
For centuries, Potsdam was the residence of Prussian Kings. Amongst other things, they left 11 castles. – This scenic ride offers a unique view at some of them.
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The trip starts at this pier on River Havel in downtown Potsdam (#1 on the map).
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The "Hairpin" |
Tiefer See |
Hans Otto Theater
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The tour starts with views of two modern buildings which both have a rather unique style. The Seniorenresidenz Germaniabogen (#2) is also called "the Hairpin" because of its steeple; Potsdam's Theater (#3), following shortly after that, has been designed after the Sydney Opera.
Passing the theater, the boat enters Tiefer See (Deep Lake), one of the many lakes surrounding Potsdam and approaches one of the most beautiful castles of the Hohenzollern dynasty.
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Flatow Tower |
Babelsberg Palace |
Casino
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Babelsberg Palace (#5) is a copy of a Windsor Castle, built in 1833. Next to it is Flatow Tower (#4), a tower in neo-gothic style, built in 1856. From here, the boat enters Wannsee, the largest lake in the area and the first building we see is Potsdam's old Casino. (# 7), an Italian style villa built in 1825 as part of Glienicke Palace.
Technically, with entering the Wannsee Lake, we left Potsdam and are now in Berlin. What is now just a dotted line on a map was once the heaviest guarded border in the world – the Berlin Wall. In addition to the castles, the tour offers some Cold War reminiscence, especially when the boat passes underneath Glienicke Bridge (#6), which became famous for being the location of exchanges of Russian and American spies during the Cold War.
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Church of the Redeemer |
Church of the Redeemer |
Peacock Island
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Other highlights on Wannsee are the Church of the Redeemer (#8), a Neo-Romanic-style church built in 1844, and especially Peacock Island with its summer castle (# 9), built in the late 1700s by King Frederick William II for his mistress, Wilhelmine von Lichtenau.
Turning around and passing the Church of the Redeemer one more time, the boat now enters Jungfernsee (Virgin Lake), the last lake of the tour.
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Royal Dairy Farm |
Cecilienhof Castle |
Cecilienhof Castle
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Related Web Site: [Web Link]
Adult Ticket Price in local currency: 11
Period/Days/Hours of Operation:
Five tours daily between May 08 and Sep 19
Food/Drink available on board?: yes
Restroom facilities on board?: yes
Protection from the elements on board: Both Indoor and Outdoor deck experience
Coordinates of the Ticket Counter: N 52° 23.568 W 013° 03.612
Address of the Ticket Counter:
Weisse Flotte Potsdam
Lange Brücke 6
Potsdam, Brandenburg Germany
14467
Required Photos Will be Uploaded: yes
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Visit Instructions:
Rule ammendment as of 03-July-2008, you must have ridden on the boat ride to log a visit. Non-compliant visits prior to this date may be grandfathered at the discretion of the waymyark owner.
Posting a photo of your experience is highly encouraged but not required. Please describe your experience and provide any tips for others who may be interested in following you.
Very brief logs with remarks such as "Visited" are discouraged. Such logs may be deleted.
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