Parks - Babelsberg and Sanssouci

This is Bablesberg Tower, which sits in Bablesberg Park. It's about a 25 minute walk from my apartment to get there. People come with their dogs, their friends, their kids. And because they're German, no one walks on the grass. Everyone walks on the paths. The tower was built in the 1850s and at one time apparently took in guests. (Not guests in the Sir Thomas More sense, but actual guests.) Someone told me you can climb to the top and get a good view of the surrounding area. I'm saving that for my next free Saturday.



Also in the park is a summer palace that was built in the 1830s for one of the Kaisers. Nice digs, huh? The place has been falling apart for years and you can pay money to go inside and tour the "construction process". On the sign they mention that budget constraints are keeping them from achieving their goals on time. I guess it's bad all over.

Coming around the corner of the castle, I stumbled on what looked like dormitories. I couldn't figure out what they were, or why they were right next to this beautiful castle. At the exit of the park, I looked at the map and saw those buildings are affiliated with the University of Potsdam. So they might, in fact, be dorms. I would be worried, if I were in the US, that the castle might turn into a frat house.

On the other side of town sits Park Sanssouci. The place is enormous, and on a spring afternoon it's packed with tourists and locals. Again, everyone stays on the paths. On the far western end of the park sits the New Palace, built in the 1760s. It's a beautiful structure, but as with many other places it has seen better days. Still, it's incredibly imposing.

Here is the New Palace. Note the large amounts of construction going on. Around the base and the roof of the palace, there are statues approximately every 15 feet. On the main part of the building, these are all adults. Off to the side of the palace, on a smaller and shorter part of the building, they're cherubs.