Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

DRIVE 6: Prussian Splendor 79

Above left Picturesque path flanked by

trees leading to Neues Palais, Park Sanssouci

Above right Red-brick gabled house in

Holländisches Viertel Below Neo-Classical

Schloss Charlottenhof, Park Sanssouci

6 Filmpark Babelsberg

Brandenburg; 14482

This film park was laid out on the site

where Germany’s first films were pro-

duced in 1912. The major films created

in these studios were Metropolis, by

the Austrian-American filmmaker Fritz

Lang, and Blue Angel, which turned the

actress Marlene Dietrich into a star.

The film park was also used for the

produc tion of Nazi propaganda films

during Hitler’s rule. Today, it is one of

Europe’s largest studio complexes

and the source of blockbusters such

as Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious

Basterds. Visitors can admire some of

the sets, as well as stuntmen in action.

EAT AND DRINK

AROUND PARK SANSSOUCI

Maison Charlotte moderate

Tucked away in an old building

in the Dutch Quarter, Maison Charlotte

is an old wine bar with an excellent

wine list and robust German-French

cuisine. The traditional country-

style cuisine uses seasonal produce

from France.

Mittelstrasse 20, 14467 Potsdam

(1 mile/2 km east of the park); 0331

280 54 50; http://www.maison-charlotte.de

Restaurant Friedrich-Wilhelm

moderate

This charming Michelin-starred

restaurant with a great terrace,

located in the five-star hotel Bayrisches

Haus, serves creative German nouvelle

cuisine. Reservations are recom-

mended and the dress code is formal.

Elisenweg 2, 14467 Potsdam (4 miles/

7 km southwest of the park); 0331 550

50; http://www.bayerisches-haus.de

RUSSISCHE KOLONIE AND

HOLLÄNDISCHES VIERTEL

Restaurant Juliette moderate

At the heart of the historic Dutch

Quarter lies the charming French

Restaurant Juliette. Guests can enjoy

carefully prepared French cuisine and

an extensive wine list.

Jägerstrasse 39, 14467 Potsdam; 0331

270 17 91; http://www.restaurant-juliette.de;

closed Mon & Tue

porcelain is now housed here.
Walk east ward from here and
across the canal to the Italienische
Friedenskirche 7 , home to a 12th-
century Byzantine mosaic. This Neo-
Romanesque church is mod eled on
the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome.
Walk back to the main avenue and
follow signs back to the parking lot.
Visitors can also opt for a detour
to Schloss Cecilienhof (closed Mon),
built for Crown Prince Wilhelm in 1913.

It is located in the Neuer Garten, or
New Garden, a section of the park
that bor ders on Heiliger See. The
palace is famous for having hosted
the Potsdam Conference in 1945,
when the heads of the Allied nations
dis cussed the fate of post-war
Germany. To reach the palace from
Schloss Sanssoucci, walk east on
Voltaireweg, then Reisterweg and
Alleestrasse, or take Bus No. 603
from outside Park Sanssouci.
ª From Schloss Sanssouci follow
signs toward Babelsberg and then

to Alexandrowka to reach the
Russische Kolonie.

that the choir would feel more at

home in Potsdam. Follow the B2 to

the Holländisches Viertel, or Dutch

quarter. It has 134 red-brick gabled

houses along cobblestoned alleys

that were built by Dutch crafts m en

in the first half of the 18th cen tury,

during the reign of Friedrich Wilhelm I.

ª Follow signs southeastward to the

Filmpark Babelsberg.

5 Russische Kolonie and
Holländisches Viertel
Brandenburg; 14467
A short drive from the Neuer Garten,
Russische Kolonie, the Russian col-
ony, is a charming residential area
known for its wooden log cabins,
each with an enchanting little
garden. It was built in 1826 for the
singers of a Russian choir – a present
from Tsar Alexander I of Russia to
Prussia. In turn, the Prussian king

built the Russian-style houses so

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under €20; moderate, €20–€40; expensive, over €40