Cecilienhof Palace

In July and August 1945 the final Allied conference of the Second World War took place in the Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, just outside Berlin. The last Emperor of the German Reich, Kaiser Wilhelm II, had built Cecilienhof Palace for his eldest son Crown Prince Wilhelm (1882 to 1951). It was named Cecilienhof after the younger Wilhelm’s wife, Crown Princess Cecilie (1886 to 1954). It was the last palace built by the Hohenzollern family that ruled Prussia and Germany until November 1918. The design of the palace was inspired by the English Tudor-style, featuring half-timbered walls, brickwork and numerous decorative chimney stacks. By the use of these traditional features it was attuned to its scenic surroundings. In order to downplay the actual size of the palace with its 176 rooms, individual building elements were cleverly grouped around a number of courtyards. The use of the palace for the Potsdam Conference in 1945, brought about drastic changes to the furnishings and décor of several of its rooms. But even 70 years after the conference, Cecilienhof Palace has an authentic air, making it easy to gain a feeling for the important events of the summer of 1945. Recently the permanent exhibition in Cecilienhof Palace reopened with a new look. While the furnishing of the rooms has remained basically unchanged, the presentation of the historic events has been revised, newly designed, and expanded to all the rooms in the palace. A wealth of historical photographs and a variety of information provide a lively picture of the events of the Conference.