Getting to Hasso Plattner Institute
> From the A10 (Berlin beltway), change onto the A115 at the intersection “Dreieck Nuthetal”.
Leave the A115 at the Potsdam-Babelsberg exit (dual exit!) and continue in the direction of Potsdam-Babelsberg.
> Follow Nuthestraße towards the city center (“Zentrum”) and exit at Wetzlarer Straße (Medienstadt Babelsberg).
> Turn right, pass the BMW car dealer and turn left in the direction of Babelsberg.
At the next intersection (Großbeerenstraße/Wetzlarer Straße) keep going straight onto August-Bebel-Straße.
> After approx. 1.5 km, just before the rail underpass, turn right onto Prof.-Dr.-Helmert-Straße. At the end of the street (next to the bus loop), you will see Campus I of HPI.
Within Potsdam, the following transit lines are available:
Bus: 694: Potsdam Küsselstr <> Potsdam Stern-Center/Gerlachstr.
Bus: 696: S Griebnitzsee Bhf <> Potsdam Robert-Baberske-Str.
Bus: 616: S Griebnitzsee Bhf <> S Babelsberg/Schulstr.
> From Berlin central station take S-Bahn line S7, destination Potsdam-Hauptbahnhof, and travel to Potsdam-Griebnitzsee (travel time approx. 35 min), alternatively take RB21/22 (travel time approx. 20 min)
> From Berlin Zoologischer Garten take S-Bahn line S7, destination Potsdam-Hauptbahnhof, and travel to Potsdam-Griebnitzsee (travel time approx. 25 min), alternatively take RB21/22 (travel time approx. 20 min)
> From Potsdam central station take S-Bahn line S7, destination Ahrensfelde, to Potsdam-Griebnitzsee (travel time approx. 10 min)
> Taxi rides from either station to HPI cost between 30 and 40 Euros and takes approx. 45 minutes.
A taxi ride from Potsdam central station takes around 15 minutes and will cost approx. 10 Euros.
> From Airport BER – Terminal 1-2 with regional train RB22, direction Friedrichstraße to S Griebnitzsee (travel time approx. 60 minutes; Ticket for zones Berlin ABC required)
>Alternatively From Airport BER – Terminal 1-2 with RB14 direction Nauen or RE7 direction Dessau to S Ostkreuz. Next, S-Bahn line S7 in the direction of Potsdam-Hauptbahnhof to S Griebnitzsee
(total travel time approx. 60 minutes; Ticket for zones Berlin ABC required.)
>Taxi rides to HPI cost between 40 and 50 Euros and takes 45 to 60 minutes.
The historic city of Potsdam welcomes all the delegates for EMOOCs-2023. Potsdam sits just beside the heart of Germany, Berlin. It is a traveler’s paradise; awe-inspiring palaces, serene river banks, hiking trails, ethnic buildings, beautiful churches, and a medieval Christmas market, Potsdam has it all. If our delegates needed a reason to extend their stay, they have it; one can seldom miss the opportunity to see the historicity and beauty of Potsdam.
The Eighth EMOOCs conference will be held at the Hasso Plattner Institute at Campus Griebnitzsee, Potsdam, Germany. The three HPI campuses at Griebnitzsee are green oases along the former wall strip. More than 20 years ago, Hasso Plattner had an idea – the co-founder of SAP wanted to enable talented young people in Germany to start a career in the software industry and founded the Hasso Plattner Institute for this purpose. What began in 1999 as an experiment with 77 software engineering students has since become a center of excellence with the bachelor’s degree program IT Systems Engineering and the five computer science master’s degree programs IT Systems Engineering, Data Engineering, Digital Health, Cybersecurity and Software Systems Engineering.
Accommodation
Potsdam offers a wide range of accommodation options. Whether upscale hotels, cosy guesthouses or private holiday apartments – the state capital of Brandenburg has the right accommodation for its guests according to their personal taste, travel habits and budget. You decide whether you want to spend the night in the city centre, directly on the waterfront or on the outskirts in the countryside. Every location has its charms. If you only want to spend a few days in the city and enjoy short distances to the sights, we recommend accommodation in the city centre, for example in the cosy Dutch Quarter. The world-famous area invites you to stay with its extraordinary architecture and many small restaurants, cafés and shops. Or you can choose a hotel in the immediate vicinity of Sanssouci Palace and Park. If you prefer nature, we recommend accommodations on the outskirts of the centre, for example in Babelsberg, on the island of Hermannswerder or in Potsdam-West. From there you can reach the city centre by public transport in approx. 15 minutes. Many accommodation providers also offer bicycle rental. On two wheels all sights can be reached quickly.
Berlin could also be a good option for accommodation since Berlin Hbf is just 30 min by S-Bahn and all hotels can be easily reached by S7 or S1. Berlin has a wide range of accommodations available around scenic and historic places in the city.
Potsdam, here we come!
The New Palace, or Neues Palais, was built between 1763-69 in red brick relieved by sandstone, with a copper dome. The palace’s interior is sumptuously decorated, particularly in the Marble Hall, the Upper and Lower State Apartments, the Marble Gallery, and Theater. The palace contains valuable furniture, pictures, porcelain, and works of art, and is best viewed as part of an extended guided tour (available in English) that visits the King’s Apartment.
Sanssouci Park (Sanssouci Park) is the site of many beautiful gardens, buildings, and works of art. It’s a pleasure to walk around, and makes a great starting place for a Potsdam cultural experience. The oldest part of the park dates back to 1744 and, along with its abundance of buildings and works of art, is considered the best example of Potsdam Rococo, reflecting as it does the influence of Frederick the Great.
Sanssouci Palace (Schloss Sanssouci) was built in 1745 based on sketches by Frederick the Great. The result, a splendid single-story Rococo building with an elliptical dome in the center and circular rooms at each end, is spectacular. The garden front has rich plaster decorations, while on the rear is the Grand Courtyard, enclosed by colonnades of Corinthian columns.
One of the newest attractions in this extremely old city, Museum Barberini opened in 2017 on the Old Market Square site once occupied by the former Barberini Palace, destroyed during a WWII bombing raid. Already regarded as one of the top art museums in Germany, the facility’s bright, modern galleries are home to a large collection of works from the country’s leading painters, stretching from the time of the Old Masters to contemporary art.
In Potsdam’s Alter Markt – the Old Market Square – stands the former Town Hall, or Altes Rathaus. Now better known as a center for cultural events and activities, this splendid Baroque building was built in 1753 with three-quarter-length Corinthian columns and a tower with a stepped dome. Be sure to look for the gilded figure of Atlas with the world on his back, the one original feature to survive the vagaries of weather and war.
To the north of Bassinplatz lies the famous Dutch Quarter, the Holländisches Viertel. Notable for its 134 charming red brick houses graced by shuttered windows, gables, and white trim, the neighborhood was built between 1737 and 1742 by Dutch craftsmen. Today, this charming community is the largest collection of Dutch-style homes outside the Netherlands.
One of the more interesting of the many other buildings found in Neuer Garten is Cecilienhof Country House (Schloss Cecilienhof). Built between 1914-17 in the style of an English Tudor country house, Cecilienhof is most famous as the meeting place of the Potsdam Conference of July-August, 1945, between the US (Truman), the UK (Churchill), and the USSR (Stalin) at the end of WWII.
Potsdam’s other large park, the New Garden (Neuer Garten) lies on the shores of the Heiliger See and covers an area of 253 acres. Splendidly landscaped in the sentimental style of the late 18th century and laid out in 1789, it was meant to reflect the style of a rural English country estate. The gardens are now a little more formal, but certainly retain their original splendor.
At the east end of Sanssouci Park stands the Church of Peace, or Friedenskirche. Built in 1844, it was modeled on the Early Christian basilica of San Clemente in Rome. Its greatest treasure is its apse mosaic dating from 1108 from the church of San Cipriano, Murano, purchased and installed here in 1834. Also of importance is the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum, added between 1888 and 1890.
Located opposite the Old Town Hall in Potsdam, St. Nicholas Church – the Nikolaikirche – is a beautiful Neoclassical church built between 1830-37 on the city’s Old Market Square (Alter Markt). The most outstanding feature of this impressive structure is its 77-meter-high dome, which rises high above most other buildings in the vicinity.
Recommended Itenary: Potsdam in two days
1st Day
Morning
Start your first day in Potsdam with a short stroll through the Russian Colony Alexandrovka. The fairy tale-like wooden blockhouses were originally built in honour of the Russian Tsar Alexander who was a good friend of Friedrich Wilhelm III. Thanks to the spacious apple orchards, a lot of days start foggy creating a quiet and cosy mood.
Passing the gorgeous Russian Orthodox Church on Kapellenberg Hill your next stop is the Belvedere Pfingstberg. This romantic lookout place is the cities highest elevation. Seeing the historical city centre, pompous palaces glimmering in orange morning light as well as the vast river landscape, this is just the right spot to make plans for the next two decelerating days in Potsdam. The hectic and loud metropolis of Berlin is visible only by its skyline on the eastern horizon.
A walk through a green area planned by Peter Joseph Lenné will bring you to a neighbourhood with big, historic mansions. This area wasn’t always as inviting as it is today. During Cold War Years, only residents who lived here and agents were allowed to enter this part of Potsdam as it domiciled the German Headquarter of the Russian secret service KGB. In those days it was called the Forbidden City. The former Central Remand Prison of the Soviet Military Counterintelligence Service in Leistikowstrasse still has numerous inscriptions on its cell walls. The permanent exhibition tells you about the fates of former prisoners.
Cecilienhof Country House in the New Garden is just a 5 minutes’ walk away. Here, the “Big Three”, the American President Harry S. Truman, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Soviet Head of State Joseph Stalin decided, with the “Potsdam Agreement”, to divide Germany into four occupation zones after World War II. In the end this led to the division of Europe. Take a look inside. The permanent exhibition shows the rooms were the Potsdam conference took place as well as the big, round table where Stalin, Truman and Churchill made decisions that influenced the world’s political map for decades.
Midday
Not far from Cecilienhof Palace is the Meierei craft brewery & restaurant. The views from the beer garden over the river Havel invite you to let your thoughts roam free.
After a nice refreshment, the walk to the southern end of the New Garden will lead you to a green painted truss bridge – The Glienicke Bridge. Connecting Potsdam and West-Berlin in Cold War Years, the Glienicke Bridge was the place used to exchange captured spies. This gave the bridge its second name “The Bridge of Spies”. Despite its historical importance, Glienicke Bridge is also a great spot to take pictures of the English-styled Babelsberg Palace on the other side of the river Havel.
Afternoon
From Glienicke Bridge you can easily take tram line 93 back to the city centre. It is less than 10 minutes away. Far more enjoyable though, is a ride on the water taxi. A ferry that offers a regular service to tourists and passes waterscape views of culturally important places along the riverbanks between April and October. The relaxing trip across the waves of the river Havel offers you ideal views of Babelsberg Park as well as Potsdam’s Hans-Otto-Theater – the sail-like architecture similar to the world-famous Sydney Opera House. Seeing yachts, sailing boats, rafts and canoes crossing your way, there is no doubt that locals and their visitors know that Potsdam is perfect to be explored by water.
20 Minutes later you will reach the jetty at Potsdam Main Station. Walking down the bridge Lange Brücke you can see a pink coloured palace right in front of you. In fact, it isn’t a palace at all. It is the Brandenburg State Parliament encased in the façade of the almost 1-to-1 reconstruction of the City Palace that stood here until 1960.
The Parliament building is also the western border of the Old Market. With enclosing buildings of the huge St. Nicholas’ Church, the Old Town Hall and the Museum Barberini, you can imagine why this place used to be called Europe’s most beautiful place. The additional ongoing reconstruction of the Old Market until 2025, the square has a great chance to regain its showpiece splendour. There are plenty museums surrounding the plaza already, which make the area one of the most visited in Potsdam. Below are just a few examples of what to see and do here:
- Immerse into the more than 1025 year-old history of Potsdam at the Potsdam Museum inside the Old Town Hall
- Admire world famous works of art at the Museum Barberini
- Get involved in nteractive filmmaking at the permanent exhibition “The Dream Factory – 100 years of Film in Babelsberg” at the Filmmuseum Potsdam
- Wander through the perennial gardens on the island Freundschaftsinsel
For even more ideas and tips, the Potsdam experts at the Tourist Information Center, Old Market will be happy to help.
Evening
Enjoy your evening strolling the streets of the Dutch Quarter. Walking on cobblestone lanes between these red brick buildings you may think, you have just travelled directly to the Netherlands. Actually, the Dutch Quarter is considered to be the greatest collection of Dutch-style houses outside the Netherlands. Originally built for Dutch craftsmen, nowadays, the streets are filled with cafes, bars and restaurants. In summer, you can savour the best city spirit sitting outside a restaurant around the gate Nauener Tor, with street musicians playing almost every evening. Just the perfect set for your dinner followed by one or two drinks.
2nd Day
Morning
With the walk through the New Garden and the water taxi ride passing Babelsberg Park, you have already seen two of the historic park areas that are UNESCO World Heritage. So, this day is all about Sanssouci Park, the most famous of all the parks in Potsdam. 300 hectares of garden art await with more than 11 palaces and historic buildings. To see Sanssouci Palace from the inside, please get to the visitor centre at the historic windmill as early as possible. This way, your chances are higher to purchase a ticket for the inside visit within the next hour. But even if you buy a ticket for the entrance time slot a couple of hours later, there is plenty to explore in this beautiful park area.
You want it all planned ahead? Get a sanssouci+ ticket at with the following benefits:
- One-time entrance to all palaces in Potsdam
- Choose your fixed time to enter Sanssouci Palace (advance booking possible)
- Get the ticket at the visitor centres in Sanssouci Park, the Tourist Information Centers at Old Market and Potsdam Main Station
From the Historic Windmill, travel further west to walk along the 300m long Orangery Palace. Its huge halls are used as a winter residence for all the orange trees and other not native
plants you find in the park area during summer.
If you are into arts, please visit the palace interior. The imposing Raphael Hall displays a great collection of about 50 copies of Rafael’s paintings such as the Sistine Madonna and the Transfiguration. The hall’s deep red walls accentuate the paintings in a beautiful way. Also, the Orangery Palace has two lookout towers from which you have a great vista over the park and its historic buildings.
Further west, you will find an avenue with four tree rows leading to the Belvedere Klausberg. This building is another proof of Frederic the Great’s love for Italy and its architecture.
Midday
Another 5 minute-walk, and you feel like you’ve just switched continents. With its curved roofs topped with golden dragon statues, the Dragon House looks just like a Chinese pagoda. Originally built as the royal winegrowers’ house, the Dragon House is now a well-visited café and restaurant in the middle of idyllic Sanssouci Park. Take a rest here to recharge your batteries with a lunch made with local ingredients. The house sommelier will happily recommend the perfect choice out of a selection of 100 wines for each dish.
Afternoon
Crossing the Maulbeerallee you will see a huge red bricked palace – the New Palace. It’s by far the biggest palace in Potsdam and a strong contrast to the intimate and rather modest Sanssouci Palace.
The building, which Friedrich himself referred to as Prussia’s “boast”, became famous for its impressive interiors: the Grotto Hall, the Marble Hall, the Concert Room and the palace’s own theatre. The Grotto Hall with the glitter of thousands of shells, quartzes and minerals was intended to impress the guests of Frederick the Great and can now be experienced again.
To get back to the city centre, you can take the bus line 695. But if we couldn’t quench your thirst for palaces and garden art yet, you had better make your through the park. With the Chinese House, Charlottenhof Villa and the New Chambers (just to name a few), this park is packed with culture, architecture and vistas that emanate the certain “savoir-vivre”. It goes without saying that the palaces in Sanssouci Park are breath-taking settings for events such as
- The Music Festival Potsdam Sanssouci. Several music performances from Rennaissance, Baroque, Classic and romantic taking place in June.
- The Potsdamer Schlössernacht. The 2-day festival taking place in August with music, literature and plays in the illuminated Sanssouci Park.
- The Winteroper taking place for several days in November/December in the newly renovated Palace theatre at the New Palace
From the eastern end of the park you will re-enter the city via the square Luisenplatz with its gate Brandenburger Tor. Please do not mistake it for the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. They only share the name. Actually, the monument in Potsdam was built 20 years before its bigger brother in Berlin.
The gate is the entrance to Potsdam’s shopping promenade the Brandenburger Strasse. Lovely backyards along the busy pedestrian area with regional shops, boutiques and cafés invite you to linger. Maybe you will find the perfect souvenir for your loved ones at home.
Evening
After so much input for the eyes, your palate may already be jealous. There is a great fine dining scene in Potsdam waiting for you to be explored. The following restaurants are, or have been awarded by Michellin, Gault & Millau or received regional labels: