They Rebuilt Germany's Versailles And It's GLORIOUS

They rebuilt Germany's Versailles and it's absolutely glorious. The center of Potsdam went from a depressing Soviet concrete nightmare to a beautiful cobblestone square surrounded by stunning buildings and a rebuilt palace. It seemed impossible, but thanks to a fight of some local inhabitants and a very generous donation, the town that was heavily bombed in World War II and further destroyed by the East German communists is once again a popular, loved and beautiful place attracting thousands of visitors. But how did they do it? Because rebuilding a town so beautifully isn't easy. For this video, I travelled to Potsdam to see his rebuilt center and with help of my German friend Bart Urban, I interviewed a developer, an architect and a local activist to hear how the reconstruction of Potsdam was achieved. And at the end, we'll learn five valuable lessons that Potsdam teaches us and why we must build beautiful places. So, let's dive right in. I'm in Potsdam with Willow Goebel, a local developer, who was involved with some of the reconstruction projects here. He shows what the city looked like during DDR or GDR times. But how did this town end up in such a bad state? And why is Potsdam such an important place in Germany to begin with? For that, we need to travel back in time. Potsdam is situated on the southwestern side of Berlin. It started as a small village in the 10th century AD and got promoted to a city in 1345. For a long time, it wasn't really that special, being a small market town. But one of Germany's famous noble families, the Hohenzollerns, had possessions in Potsdam and their presence would turn Potsdam into a truly royal town. Around 1640, Frederick William, known as the Great Elector, became interested in Potsdam because he saw it as a strategic location for fortifications and economic development. Under his rule, Potsdam started to evolve from a modest market town into a hub of activity and the town started to gain more prestige. King Frederick William I, also known as the Soldier King, the one who militarized Prussia, turned it into a garrison city and built the famous Garrison Church. He also had the idea to attract Dutch craftsmen to the city. And in order to do so, he decided to build a Dutch village, where they would feel right at home. So, the Dutch Quarter was built, a neighborhood of classic Dutch houses with red brick, gabled roofs and green and white shutters. Unfortunately, the plan didn't work out as he hoped, as not many Dutch people moved to Potsdam. The real transformation of Potsdam came in the 18th century under Frederick the Great. He was a lover of art, architecture and philosophy, and he envisioned Potsdam as more than just a royal seat. It would become a cultural and architectural jewel, rivaling the great cities of Europe. He commissioned the construction of Sanssouci Palace, a stunning rococo retreat. Surrounding it, he created a series of parks, gardens and structures that would make Potsdam the Versailles of Germany. As the Hohenzollerns continued their reign, Potsdam grew in prominence. It was a sort of second capital to Germany. There were some dark pages in Potsdam's history as well, with the declaration of war being signed here in 1914 and it was in Potsdam where the ceremonial handshake took place between the new chancellor Adolf Hitler and Von Hindenburg in 1933. These dark omens would be followed by an even darker chapter. The same Adolf Hitler ravaged Europe with his war. On the night of April 14, 1945, just weeks before the end of World War II, the British Royal Air Force launched a massive air raid on Potsdam, targeting its central areas and key infrastructure. A large part of the center, with the Automarkt, the garrison church and the iconic city palace, were now in ruin. And then, just weeks later, the war ended. The city became part of communist East Germany and they had their own plans for what to do with Potsdam. But before I tell what the Soviets did, quickly something else. I'm finishing a new website that will have all my videos, interesting urban projects and much more all under one roof. For this purpose, I'm using Squarespace, the sponsor of today's video. Squarespace makes it super easy to create a completely personalized website using their new Design Intelligence system, a cutting-edge AI tool to empower anyone to create a beautiful, more personalized website tailored to their unique needs. Squarespace also offers an integrated payments tool, scheduling of client bookings, setting up email campaigns and it's all super easy to use. Check out squarespace.com for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, go to squarespace.com slash TheAestheticCity to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. After the war, the city became part of communist East Germany, the GDR. The new regime didn't like Potsdam's Prussian past and demolished many of its historic buildings, for example the famous city palace, but also the garrison church. In June 1967, Walter Ulbricht, leader of the GDR, issued the famous order, that thing must go, and the ruins of the church were removed. However, some historical buildings were restored during GDR times, like the St. Nicholas Church, one of Potsdam's most recognizable landmarks, which was designed by the masterful German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. For many years, Potsdam was a shadow of its former self. But then, from the early 90s onwards, everything started to change. The Berlin Wall had fallen and Germany was reunified. And although many grew up in the post-war ugliness, not everyone had forgotten how beautiful Potsdam once was. A short while after reunification, the first voices in favor of rebuilding the beautiful city center were already heard. Thomas Ulbricht, a German architect who currently teaches at the Rome program of the Notre Dame School of Architecture, one of the few schools that still has a classical and traditional program, was involved with multiple projects in Potsdam. In the first days, a wide civic movement started in Potsdam to say, we want the old market, so the inner city, back in its condition where it has been before 1940. But how did these projects get started? How do you inspire a city to rebuild and to change? Barbara Küste has been an activist for reconstruction of Potsdam for years, with the organization Mieteschön. The very first step to get Potsdam rebuilt wasn't to start directly with a massive project. Instead, they started by building a small building, the Fortuna Gate, which belongs to the city palace. With this first building, they showed the local citizens a physical, real example of what Potsdam could become in the future. There were a number of main projects to be rebuilt in Potsdam. Urban planning is a long-term thing and it lasted until 2009, so nearly 20 years before the first master plan was finished, which said, we will rebuild the Schloss in the former volume and the Alte Markt had to be reconstructed. The Alte Markt is a very irregular place, which is sloping down. Even the slope had to be integrated. Then there came the movement for the Garnisonkirche, garrison church, which had to be rebuilt, which was 90 meters high baroque church. The reconstruction of the garrison church was a big victory. It took a lot of effort by people in Potsdam and there even was a design competition. It still misses its spire and nave, but the tower stands and it can always be expanded later. Second, there was the city palace on the Alte Markt, or the central square. It has been reconstructed too, with help of a 20 million euro donation of Hasso Plattner, the German Bill Gates and co-founder of SAP. The end result is incredible, as it fills up a gaping wound in the center of Potsdam. And third, the Alte Markt itself. Before the war, there was dense, beautiful urban fabric all around this main square. With some truly stunning buildings, like the Barberini Palace. After the war, a college for teachers was built where before there were houses. And on the location of the Barberini Palace itself was nothing but open space and later a temporary theater building. But the Barberini Palace was rebuilt and houses a museum, and is flanked by other buildings with traditional facades. The museum is very popular. It has the impressive collection of Hasso Plattner, which lovers of Monet paintings will like, as there's 40 of them. The teacher college was a cheap rip-off of a Mies van der Rohe building. The college has been knocked down and has been replaced by Block 3, bringing back dense, traditional urban fabric with many beautiful traditional facades. It gets even better. There is one big ugly lump of concrete left that is being broken down as we speak, which will also be replaced by this beautiful traditional architecture. The municipality used the Leidbauten concept, loosely translated as landmark buildings concept, which places extra beautiful landmark facades on prominent locations. In a couple of years, Potsdam will be unrecognizable from just 15 years ago, and it will have its beautiful human-scaled center back. Hopefully, the garrison church can also be fully rebuilt. Potsdam will be, once again, a true jewel. So, what about the dark pages of Potsdam's history? After all, Hitler did go there, and the Prussians did wage many wars. So, there you have it. Potsdam was able to restore its city center to its glorious former beauty. For me personally, this is something that makes me super enthusiastic for the future. If stories like this inspire you as well, there's something very simple you can do to keep them coming. A whopping 88% of people watching The Aesthetic City aren't subscribed yet. If you like these videos, please support our channel by subscribing. It really makes a big difference. So, back to Potsdam. What can we learn from this? Here are 5 lessons I think are great to consider. 1. Help people to imagine change. Until something real is built, it is very hard for many to imagine what a new, more beautiful city center could look like. In Potsdam, they first rebuilt the Fortuna Gate. And that made people realize, hey, we can actually just rebuild stuff and it will look amazing. This is critical for getting support. So, if you have a project and want to inspire people, it can help to make a great computer rendering, a physical model or even build a first phase or prototype to help people imagine what could be. 2. Creating a strong sense of place is essential. Many people crave it. They don't want to live in an anonymous, boring world where everything looks the same. They want surprises. They want to feel at home where they live. And when they travel, they want to find a place that is different but authentic. Not exactly the same as home. 3. Listen to the people. In Potsdam, people yearned for a beautiful city and they fought for a long time. The municipality of Potsdam was eager to listen, which made the reconstruction possible. Which is different in Dresden, where the city continues to thwart efforts to rebuild its beautiful historical fabric. Be democratic and listen to what the people want. It will often lead to popular decisions that, in the case of beautiful architecture and urbanism, will help everyone. 4. Organize events. The Mietescheunen Group in Potsdam started by organizing one event every month. In the end, there were about 2,000 people sitting here on the square, sitting at long tables, with white tablecloths, lighting up. And we, under the title, we are burning for the city palace, that had a great effect. We did that several times. And the city policy, and above all Mr. Plattner, who said after a while, if the people of Potsdam want it so much, namely not only the state parliament, but the state parliament in the historical form of the city palace, then I give him the 20 million. And he did. And finally, number 5. Beauty matters. The reconstructions in Potsdam have given hope and joy to its residents, and they have attracted many tourists to Potsdam, boosting the economy. There are enough studies showing that beauty is good for our health and for community satisfaction. But it also has an uplifting element, that is hard to express in numbers or peer-reviewed studies. Beauty is not just about aesthetics. It's about the kind of world we want to build and live in. The truth is, beauty stands for something. It suggests that some things are worth preserving, cultivating or even defending. And while some may dismiss beauty as unimportant or elitist, it's actually a force that helps protect the things that make life meaningful. Maybe one final point to add, and that is the 20 million euro donation of the German billionaire Hasse Plattner to fund the facade for the city palace. I believe that what he did is one of the best ways to spend money for a billionaire. How many billionaires spend their money on cringy mansions or tacky yachts? While they could be building magnificent palaces and be patrons of art, beauty and long-lasting architecture. Just think about all the craftsmen they could employ. That is exactly what the rich did in the past. They gave back to their communities in the form of beautiful art and architecture. They were patrons to people like Michelangelo and Bernini. But even Andrew Carnegie funded many amazing buildings. It is refreshing to see people like Hasse Plattner, who get it, follow in their footsteps. And I believe we need a lot more of that. The story of Potsdam has shown us how local inhabitants can reshape their city. War and destruction might have taken beauty away, but it can always be brought back. And like a phoenix, the city has risen from the ashes. There are more cities that have been rebuilt, like Warsaw in Poland. And I'm hoping to make videos about these projects too. Because nothing is more beautiful than to see beauty and pleasant, human-scale environments return to former glory. By the way, if you want to learn more about how to create beautiful, traditional urban design, I'm developing a course on it. Because there are few places to find all this information in one location. Find the link in the description below. I'm wondering what you think about Potsdam. Does it inspire you? What other places should be restored? Leave a comment and share the video if you thought it was inspiring. A thank you to my patrons. Thank you for watching and till next time.