Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (''
Stadtteil
A quarter is a section of an urban settlement.
A quarter can be administratively defined and its borders officially designated, and it may have its own administrative structure (subordinate to that of the city, town or other urban area). Such a ...
'') of
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream o ...
, the capital city of the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
state of
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...
. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the
Havel river is famous for
Babelsberg Palace
Babelsberg Palace (german: Schloss Babelsberg) lies in the eponymous park and quarter of Potsdam, the capital of the German state of Brandenburg, near Berlin. For over 50 years it was the summer residence of Prince William, later German Emperor ...
and
Park, part of the
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (german: Schlösser und Gärten von Potsdam und Berlin) are a group of palace complexes and extended landscape gardens located in the Havelland region around Potsdam and the German capital of Berlin. The ter ...
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, as well as for
Babelsberg Studio
Babelsberg Film Studio (german: Filmstudio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the second oldest large-scale film studio in the world only preceded by the Danish Nordisk Film (est. 1906), producing films since ...
, a historical centre of the
German film industry and the first large-scale movie studio in the world.
History
![Filmstudio Babelsberg Eingang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Filmstudio_Babelsberg_Eingang.jpg)
A settlement on the small
Nuthe creek was first mentioned in the 1375 ''Landbuch'' (domesday book) by Emperor
Charles IV of Luxembourg, who also ruled as
Margrave of Brandenburg
This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...
since 1373. Then called ''Neuendorf'' (New Village) after its former
West Slavic name ''Nova Ves'', it was shelled several times and was severely damaged during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
.
In the mid-18th century the new village of Nowawes was founded by King
Frederick II of Prussia and settled with Protestant
Bohemian deportees, predominantly
weavers
Weaver or Weavers may refer to:
Activities
* A person who engages in weaving fabric
Animals
* Various birds of the family Ploceidae
* Crevice weaver spider family
* Orb-weaver spider family
* Weever (or weever-fish)
Arts and entertainmen ...
who as descendants of the
Unity of the Brethren had fled from the
Counter-Reformation's suppression of their faith in the lands of the
Habsburg monarchy during Empress
Maria Theresa's rule. During the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
the area developed into a centre of textile and carpet manufacturing, and—at the premises of
Orenstein & Koppel
Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major Germany, German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. ...
, from 1899 on—also of the railway production.
For decades German ''Neuendorf'' and Bohemian ''Nowawes'' ( cs, Nová Ves) bordered on each other but remained separate municipalities until their official unification in 1907. Nowawes received town privileges in 1924.
![Harry Truman Villa Babelsberg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Harry_Truman_Villa_Babelsberg.jpg)
From about 1900 the mansion colony of ''Neubabelsberg'' arose east of
Babelsberg Park
Babelsberg Park (german: Park Babelsberg) is a 114 hectare park in the northeast of the city of Potsdam, bordering on the ''Tiefen See'' lake on the River Havel. The park was first designed by the landscape artist Peter Joseph Lenné and, af ...
on the southern shore of the
Griebnitzsee
Griebnitzsee (, from the Slavic ''Grib'', ''Mushroom'') is a lake at the south-western outskirts of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. At an elevation of 29.4 m, its surface area is ca. 0.592 km². The lake forms the border between the Germ ...
lake. After the
Universum Film AG
UFA GmbH, shortened to UFA (), is a film and television production company that unites all production activities of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann in Germany. Its name derives from Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (normally abbreviated as ...
(UFA) in 1922 had acquired a large backlot nearby, these villas built by famous architects like
Hermann Muthesius
Adam Gottlieb Hermann Muthesius (20 April 1861 – 29 October 1927), known as Hermann Muthesius, was a German architect, author and diplomat, perhaps best known for promoting many of the ideas of the English Arts and Crafts movement within German ...
and
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe became popular residences of numerous film stars.
Marika Rökk
Marika Rökk (; born Marie Karoline Rökk, 3 November 1913 – 16 May 2004) was a German-Austrian dancer, singer and actress of Hungarian descent who gained prominence in German films in the Nazi era. She resumed her career in 1947 and was one of ...
,
Sybille Schmitz,
Lilian Harvey
Lilian Harvey (born Helene Lilian Muriel Pape; 19 January 1906 – 27 July 1968) was an Anglo-German actress and singer, long based in Germany, where she is best known for her role as Christel Weinzinger in Erik Charell's 1931 film ''Der Kongr ...
,
Willy Fritsch
Willy Fritsch (27 January 1901 – 13 July 1973) was a German theater and film actor, a popular leading man and character actor from the silent-film era to the early 1960s.
Biography Early life
He was born Wilhelm Egon Fritz Fritsch, the only s ...
and
Brigitte Horney lived and worked here when film production by the UFA continued without a break in the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
period, while many
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish actors and directors were dispossessed and had to flee from Germany. In 1938 Nowawes and Neubabelsberg merged and were incorporated into
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream o ...
one year later, becoming the district of Potsdam-Babelsberg.
During the 1945
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris P ...
, the representatives of the victorious
Allies,
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
, President
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
, and Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
(until July 26, when he was succeeded by
Clement Attlee) resided in mansions of Neubabelsberg. At the "Truman-Villa", the President issued the
Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration, or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S. Truman, Uni ...
and gave orders for the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today the building serves as the seat of the liberal
Friedrich Naumann Foundation
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (german: Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit) (''FNF''), is a German foundation for liberal politics, related to the Free Democratic Party. Established in 1958 by Theodor Heuss, the first pres ...
.
Babelsberg Palace
In 1833, Prince
Wilhelm I, German Emperor
William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was th ...
had obtained the consent of his father King
Frederick William III of Prussia to build a summer residence for him and his spouse
Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Princess Augusta Marie Luise Katharina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (30 September 1811 – 7 January 1890) was the queen of Prussia and the first German empress as the consort of William I, German Emperor.
Early life
Augusta was the second daughter ...
on the slope of the Babelsberg hill, overlooking the
Havel river. The first plans were designed in a
Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style by
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassic ...
, but soon did not satisfy the growing demands of Wilhelm, who - as the marriage of his elder brother King
Frederick William IV
Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...
produced no children - meanwhile had achieved the status of Prussian crown prince. The palace was largely extended according to plans by
Friedrich Ludwig Persius
Friedrich Ludwig Persius (15 February 1803 in Potsdam – 12 July 1845 in Potsdam) was a Prussian architect and a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
Persius assisted Schinkel with, among others, the building of the Charlottenhof Castle an ...
and finished in 1849.
Babelsberg remained a residence of Wilhelm after his accession to the Prussian and German throne. It was here, after a private conversation on 23 September 1862 he appointed
Otto von Bismarck Minister President of Prussia and decided not to abdicate.
Babelsberg today
Because of the closeness to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
and Potsdam, Babelsberg's history has much in common with its neighbours, notably the common history of
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
, the Partition of Germany during the Cold War and
German reunification. The neighbourhood shares a direct border with the
Wannsee
Wannsee () is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger ''Großer Wannsee'' (Greater Wannsee, "See" means lake) and the ...
district of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, where some remains of the
Berlin Wall survive.
Babelsberg Studio
Babelsberg Film Studio (german: Filmstudio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the second oldest large-scale film studio in the world only preceded by the Danish Nordisk Film (est. 1906), producing films since ...
is widely known as a European media centre and the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. It is also one of the two seats of the public
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (; "Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting"; abbreviated: RBB , stylized as rbb) is an institution under public law (national broadcaster) for the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg, based in Berlin and Potsdam. RBB ...
(rbb) broadcaster and home of the
German Broadcasting Archive.
Since 1990 Babelsberg Palace with the surrounding park laid out by
Peter Joseph Lenné
Peter Joseph Lenné (the Younger) (29 September 1789 – 23 January 1866) was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 19 ...
and
Hermann von Pückler-Muskau is part of the UNESCO
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (german: Schlösser und Gärten von Potsdam und Berlin) are a group of palace complexes and extended landscape gardens located in the Havelland region around Potsdam and the German capital of Berlin. The ter ...
World Heritage Site and open to the public as a museum. One campus of the
University of Potsdam
The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace of Sanssouci which is known ...
as well as the
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) are situated within the park. Next to Neubabelsberg is the home of the
Hasso Plattner Institute
The Hasso Plattner Institute (Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering gGmbH), abbreviated HPI, is a German information technology institute and faculty of the University of Potsdam located in Potsdam near Berlin. The teaching and ...
for software systems engineering.
The local
SV Babelsberg 03
SV Babelsberg 03 is a football in Germany, German association football club based in Potsdam-Potsdam-Babelsberg, Babelsberg, on the outskirts of Berlin. The team was founded as ''Sport-Club Jugendkraft 1903'' and again as ''SG Karl-Marx Babelsbe ...
football club is based at the
Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion
The Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion is a football stadium in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany. It is the home stadium of 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam and SV Babelsberg 03. The stadium has a capacity of 10,787 for 8,784 standing and 2,003 seated guests. Named in ho ...
, which is also the home ground of the
1. FFC Turbine Potsdam
1. Frauenfußballclub Turbine Potsdam 71 e. V., commonly known as 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam (or Turbine Potsdam outside of Germany), is a German women's football club located in Potsdam, Brandenburg. They are one of the most successful women's footb ...
women's football team.
The German Industrial-Metal band
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...
used Babelsberg castle to film their music video "
Du Riechst So Gut
"Du riechst so gut" (, "you smell so good") is a song by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. It was released the band's first single on 24 August 1995, also acting as the lead single from their debut studio album, ''Herzeleid'' (1995). T ...
98".
See also
*
Steinstücken
Steinstücken (, literally "Stone Pieces"), a small settlement with approximately 200 inhabitants, is the southernmost territory of the Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, belonging to Wannsee. From the division of Germany in 1949 until a co ...
*
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
*
Babelsberg Studios
Babelsberg Film Studio (german: Filmstudio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the second oldest large-scale film studio in the world only preceded by the Danish Nordisk Film (est. 1906), producing films since ...
*
Potsdam-Babelsberg station
Potsdam-Babelsberg station is an S-Bahn station in the Potsdam district of Babelsberg. It is located on the tracks of an extension of the Wannsee Railway between Griebnitzsee station and Potsdam Hauptbahnhof. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as ...
*
Potsdam Medienstadt Babelsberg station
Potsdam Medienstadt Babelsberg station is a station on the Berlin–Blankenheim railway located in the east of the Potsdam district of Drewitz near Babelsberg, the historic center of the German film industry, and the former West Berlin exclave of ...
References
Further reading
* Paul Sigel, Silke Dähmlow, Frank Seehausen and Lucas Elmenhorst, ''Architekturführer Potsdam - Architectural Guide'', Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 2006, .
* Jung, Karin Carmen: ''Die Böhmische Weberkolonie Nowawes 1751–1767 in Potsdam-Babelsberg. Bauliche und städtebauliche Entwicklung.'' Haude und Spener, .
* Grampp, Hermann: ''Filmstadt Babelsberg''. In: ''Die Mark Brandenburg'', Heft 74, Marika Großer Verlag, Berlin 2009 .
* ''Babelsberg. Einst und Jetzt''. Culturcon /
Märkische Oderzeitung, 2011, .
External links
Babelsberg Palace- official site
Babelsberg on www.potsdam.deBabelsberg PalaceLocal tradesmen website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babelsberg
Geography of Potsdam
Districts of Potsdam
Palaces in Brandenburg
Parks in Germany
Protected areas of Brandenburg
Tourist attractions in Potsdam
World Heritage Sites in Germany