Garnisonkirche in Potsdam

Visit the viewing platform of the Garrison Church, the 360-degree Potsdam panorama at a height of 57 metres. Be enchanted by the magnificent view of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Potsdam with its palaces and waterscapes.

The permanent exhibition

The Exhibition "Faith, Power and Military" stages the history of the site on 250 square metres with many exciting hands-on elements. Around 350 objects, films, audio files and interactive media encourage visitors to critically scrutinise, think and discuss.

The exhibition spans an arc from Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I to the Weimar Republic, the dictatorship of the National Socialists and SED rule to German reunification and the debate surrounding the reconstruction of the Garrison Church. The ambivalent history of Prussia and Potsdam is linked with questions of the present. Are there just wars? What is the value of democracy? What is freedom?

A wide range of events

The Garrison Church Potsdam is a place of encounter, learning and inspiration. An extensive programme of events offers the opportunity to engage with history and the issues of our time, exchange opinions and enter into conversation. The focus is on peace and democracy. Whether it's a reading, lecture or discussion: your opinion counts!

The musical events at the Garrison Church Potsdam offer a variety of instrumental and choral music. Classical concerts, pop, jazz or world music. Music has a long tradition in the Garrison Church Potsdam. In 1747, Johann Sebastian Bach played the Wagner organ in the Garrison Church and praised the instrument as "a magnificent work". The famous carillon of the Garrison Church was considered an acoustic landmark of Potsdam. It is to be rebuilt in the long term and play peace melodies. Alexander Schuke Orgelbau Potsdam built a new organ for the chapel in the tower with one Baroque and one Romantic work. The result is a unique instrument with an equally wide musical range.

Chapel and city church

The chapel in the Garrison Church is open to everyone. Visitors may be surprised by a pop-up devotion or a "blessing to go". It is a city church that connects people and brings them into dialogue, that stands up for human dignity and promotes peace. The spiritual life in the Garrison Church is characterised by the Nail Cross Church Network. The aim is to establish a culture of peace and reconciliation in the spirit of the worldwide Cross of Nails movement. "Guide our feet into the way of peace": this inscription on the base of the Garrison Church tower is written in five languages. The Bible text from the Gospel of Luke is the compass for the work and programme at the Garrison Church. 

The reconstruction of the church

In 2018, visitors can marvel at the spectacular foundation work:Inside, the spectacular foundation work: 38 bored piles are being milled to a depth of 38 metres to lay the foundations for the new 90-metre-high building with four full storeys and a tower dome. In autumn 2019, the roofing of the almost 9-metre-high chapel in the centre of the tower is completed.  At the corners of the tower base, the masonry has a thickness of up to 3.50 m to safely distribute the loads of the tower shaft.

In spring 2021, the tower base with the two side wings and the mezzanine floor will be completed. 

The Garrison Church: A monument to German history

The decision to rebuild the tower is rooted in the moving history of the Garrison Church, in which both the Prussian monarchy and the Nazi dictatorship left their mark. Initially built by Frederick William I for the members of the court and the garrison, the first freely elected city councillors met in the Garrison Church from 1809. Calvinists and Lutherans formed their first union here in 1817. The crypt of the Garrison Church served as the burial place of the Prussian rulers Frederick William I and Frederick II. In 1933, the Garrison Church became ominously famous when Adolf Hitler was confirmed as Reich Chancellor by Reich President Paul von Hindenburg with a handshake on the "Day of Potsdam".

In 1945, shortly before the end of the Second World War, the Garrison Church burned down after being bombed.

In 1968, during the period of German division, the GDR leadership had the church blown up for ideological reasons. This makes the former Garrison Church one of around 60 church buildings that were destroyed under the GDR regime.

As a place of remembrance of German history and as a forum for peace and reconciliation, the rebuilt church was created as a space of encounter, where the debate about pride and fall, about resistance and adaptation and about freedom and oppression  is brought to life.

Baroque style meets modern functionality

As an outstanding example of North German Baroque, the Garrison Church has always played an important cultural and tourist role in Potsdam. It was part of the famous "Dreikirchenblick" (three-church view) and its carillon was a favourite. The rebuilt church tower brings architecture and craftsmanship to life and replaces a missing piece in the cityscape.

The new tower design by architects Hilmer, Sattler & Albrecht shows an exciting symbiosis of reconstruction and modern functionality. Around 1200 square metres of exhibition and seminar space as well as the central chapel as the heart of the tower. One highlight is the 57 metre-high viewing platform with sweeping views over Potsdam. The historic carillon under the almost 90 metre high tower dome is also set to ring out again soon.
The almost 90 metre high building has four full storeys, 365 steps and a lift. Barrier-free construction is part of the programme.

Your visit

How to get there:  Public transport to Potsdam main station, tram stop Alter Markt/Landtag
Gastronomy: "Le Petit Café" at the tower of the Garrison Church will refresh you with small French dishes and refreshing drinks

Accessibility: The building has no thresholds, is wheelchair-accessible and has a lift up to the visitor platform. The church works with colour contrasts and the Braille guidance system.