Recommended Destinations

Bornstedt Crown Estate © city council of Potsdam/Uwe Schulze

 

Bornstedt Crown Estate © H. Kreft

 

Bornstedt Church © H. Kreft

 

Churchyard of the Bornstedt Church

 

Epitaph of Jacob Paul von Gundling at the Bornstedt Church

Bornstedt Crown Estate
Ribbeckstraße

Bornstedt was once a village north-east of Potsdam. According to the land register of Emperor Karl IV, in the year 1375 there were three farms here that were later combined into one manor, which was bought by the Elector Frederick William in 1664. In 1724, the estate was placed under the charge of the board of directors of the Great Military Orphanage. In 1846, the entire old crown estate burned down, except for a part of the mansion, and by 1848 it was re-constructed in the Italian villa-style. In 1867, Crown Prince Frederick William (1831-1888) and his English wife Victoria (1840-1901) took over the property and operated it as a model estate. Diary production and chicken-farming were the main activities.

The garden architect Emil Sello (1816-1893) re-designed the garden after an English model in 1875. In 1888, the crown prince became German Emperor Frederick III, and died later that same year. Empress Victoria left the estate in 1889. After various usages, the restoration of the estate began in 1999, being converted into a tourist attraction with shop facilities, restaurants, and various events.

Weddings can still be celebrated in the Bornstedt Crown Estate today.

The Bornstedt Church, with its churchyard, is located diagonally opposite the crown estate. "Who dies in Sanssouci, shall be buried in Bornstedt," said Fontane about the popular burial place of Prussian court employees. For example, the graves of Peter Joseph Lenné and Ludwig Persius can be seen in the churchyard.

The church is already the third one on this site. It was constructed in the Italian manner in 1855-56 based on several drafts by the architect Stüler and by a royal command. Inside, directly on the left-hand side, the epitaph of the tragic scholar Jakob Paul Freiherr von Gundling can be seen.

Tip: From the crown estate, you need only head south for a few minutes to reach the Orangery in Sanssouci park.