Babelsberg Park, Potsdam

Babelsberg Park, spanning 114 hectares, is located in the northeast of Potsdam, along the banks of the Tiefen See lake on the River Havel. The park was initially designed by the renowned landscape artist Peter Joseph Lenné and later refined by Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau. It was commissioned by Prince William, who later became Emperor William I, and his wife, Augusta, as a personal residence and addition to the scenic transformation of Potsdam’s landscape.

The park's origins date back to 1833, when King Frederick William III of Prussia permitted his son Prince William to develop a garden. Karl Friedrich Schinkel was commissioned to design a palace, but due to limited funds, Lenné faced challenges in advancing the landscaping. His work was further complicated by an irrigation failure during a hot summer, which led to significant plant loss, and by disagreements with Princess Augusta over the garden's future design, ultimately resulting in Lenné's dismissal.

In 1843, landscape gardener Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau took over the project, adding artificial lakes like Schwarze Meer, Achterbecken, Kindermannsee, and Große See into the park’s landscape. Lenné incorporated the nearby Böttcherberg hill, enhancing the park's connections to surrounding lakes with observation points like the Rondell and Fächeraussicht. Near the park's highest point, Prince Charles built the semi-circular Loggia Alexandra in 1869 to honor his sister.

After the Prussian monarchy ended in 1918 and royal assets were redistributed in 1926, Babelsberg Palace and Park came under the Prussian Palace Authorities. Post-World War II, parts of the park were used for public and military purposes, and access was restricted when the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. Following the Wall's fall in 1989, the park underwent extensive restoration and is now fully open to the public.