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On the Havel River just beyond the south-western tip of
Berlin, Potsdam was the address of German bigwigs from the
17th century onward. Left behind were awe-inspiring and
nauseating castles. For example the Schloss Sanssouci (No
Worries Castle) was commissioned by Friedrich the Great
in the mid-18th century and emulates the French grandeur
and stateliness of which he was much enamoured. Unfortunately,
Friedrich's take on Gallic palatial chic was about as authentic
as the execrable French poetry he quilled. Also here is
Wilhelm II's mock-Tudor mansion which was used by the Allies
in July 1945 to determine the fate of a defeated Germany
in the famous Potsdam Conference.
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