Cecilienhof Palace, Potsdam (must see)

Cecilienhof Palace (Schloss Cecilienhof) is a historic palace located in Potsdam. Constructed between 1914 and 1917, Cecilienhof was the last palace built by the House of Hohenzollern, which ruled over the Kingdom of Prussia and later the German Empire until the end of World War I. The palace is renowned for its role in world history as the site of the Potsdam Conference in 1945, where leaders from the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States gathered to make critical decisions that shaped the post-World War II world.

Designed in the style of an English Tudor manor house, Cecilienhof was inspired by various cottage and Tudor-style homes admired by Crown Prince Wilhelm, such as Bidston Court in Birkenhead, England, and Gelbensande Manor near Rostock, Germany. The palace's architectural style, characterized by its low structure and multiple courtyards, gives it a charming, understated appearance that belies its substantial size, housing a total of 176 rooms.

The interior of Cecilienhof was designed for Crown Prince and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with distinct areas like the central Ehrenhof courtyard, the intimate Prinzengarten, and surrounding courtyards. The ground floor featured public rooms centered around a great hall, with an oak stairway from Danzig. This floor included the Crown Prince's smoking room, library, and breakfast room, and a suite for the Duchess with a music salon and a cabin-like room by Paul Ludwig Troost, known for his ocean liner designs.

Cecilienhof is located in the northern part of Neuer Garten Park near Jungfernsee Lake. Originally designed in the late 18th century under King Frederick William II of Prussia, the park was later transformed into an English landscape garden by Peter Joseph Lenné. The park also features notable structures like the Marmorpalais, an orangery, an artificial grotto, the Gothic Library, and the Dairy in the New Garden, adding to its historical and architectural significance.

In 1990, Cecilienhof Palace and the surrounding parks were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognizing their cultural and historical importance as part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin.