Blick durch die ehem. Burgstraße zur Ruine des Alten Rathauses, um 1962, Foto Siegfried Kersten
How has the Old Market Square changed over the past 80 years? What has remained, what has disappeared – and what has taken its place?
Historic photographs trace the transformation of Potsdam’s Old Market Square from its destruction in 1945 to the present day. They feature well-known landmarks such as St. Nicholas Church and the Old Town Hall through the decades, as well as places that have disappeared, including the Hans Otto Theater, the University of Applied Sciences, and the Staudenhof housing complex.
Striking aerial photographs and insights into the various phases of construction and reconstruction reveal the changing face of the square – shaped by historic buildings, GDR architecture, and the reconstructions of recent years.
Curious to discover more of the history behind the photographs?
The special exhibition “Platz____für Neues? Visions for the Old Market Square 1945–2025” (Info) at the Potsdam Museum explores the ideas, debates, and controversies surrounding the Old Market Square.
Running in parallel, the special exhibition “Christopher Lehmpfuhl” (Info) offers an artistic perspective on the square today through the work of the renowned plein-air painter.
An exhibition presented in cooperation with Bahnhofspassagen Potsdam.
Free admission.
Blick von der Langen Brücke auf das bereits teilweise gesprengte Stadtschloss, 1960, Foto unbekannt
Abnahme Attikafiguren vom Alten Rathaus, 1962, Foto Eberhard Falkenhahn
Alt- und Neubebauungen an der Alten Fahrt, 1964, Foto Werner Taag
Alter Markt mit Nikolaikirche und dem neuen „Zentrum Potsdam-Süd“, 1975, Foto Lothar Willmann
Blick auf das Institut für Lehrerbildung, 1978-79, Foto Foto-Herrmann
Blick auf den Alten Markt, um 2007, Foto Olaf Thiede
Luftbild Alter Markt, Blick nach Südosten, 2024, Foto Falcon Crest
The exhibition is curated by Marie Elisabeth Sinde and Amanda Beyer, Museum Trainees at the Potsdam Museum.
