Babelsberg

Babelsberg is a Potsdam district with two remarkably distinct identities occupying the same postcode: a sweeping landscape park along the Havel, anchored by the neo-Gothic Schloss Babelsberg that served as the summer residence of Kaiser Wilhelm I, and the Medienstadt Babelsberg, Germany's oldest large-scale film studio. Founded in 1912, the studios produced Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis' in 1927 and Wolfgang Petersen's 'Das Boot' in 1981, and served as the DEFA production hub throughout the GDR era. The park, co-designed by Peter Joseph Lenné and Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Potsdam park ensemble since 1990, its riverside paths offering panoramic views across the Havel. Today the Filmpark Babelsberg gives visitors access to active studio backlots, while the Film University and public broadcaster rbb ensure the district's media identity remains more than a museum piece.