Potsdam's partner cities

Potsdam, with its international character, is an attractive travel and excursion destination for guests from around the world, a great host for conferences and congresses, and a reliable friend to the cities with which it maintains partnership relations.

Potsdam is connected with ten cities in Europe and the USA. The spectrum of these cities is as diverse as the history of each municipality. Potsdam's city partnerships thrive on the commitment of its citizens and the ideas of numerous clubs, associations, and institutions.

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Potsdam's City Partnerships - Activities and Funding Opportunities

Are you interested in Potsdam's partner cities? Then here you will find contact persons, funding opportunities, status reports, information on friendship associations, and events.

Opole

Opole is the capital of the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. It is the oldest partnership of the capital city of Potsdam. The first contacts between Opole and Potsdam were established as early as the early 1960s. An official agreement was signed in 1973.

Bobigny

Bobigny is the capital of the Seine-Saint-Denis department in France. The city is located 3 kilometres northeast of Paris. It has been a partner city of Potsdam since 1974.

Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä is the seventh largest city in Finland and one of the country's five growth centres. It is known as the city of the world-famous architect Alvar Aalto. The city partnership between Potsdam and Jyväskylä has existed since 1985.

Bonn

The city partnership between Potsdam and Bonn began in 1988 but could only be brought to life after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The city on the Rhine has a history spanning over 2000 years.

Perugia

Perugia is the capital and administrative centre of the Umbria region, which is known as the 'Green Heart of Italy.' The city partnership between Potsdam and Perugia was signed in 1990.

Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls is the largest and one of the oldest cities in the American state of South Dakota, with a population of 168,586. The partnership between Potsdam and Sioux Falls has existed since September 1990, making it the oldest city partnership between a city in the new federal states and an American municipality.

Lucerne

Only since 2002 have Lucerne and Potsdam been connected through a city partnership. Lucerne is the capital of the eponymous canton and serves as the economic and cultural centre of Central Switzerland. The history of Lucerne dates back to the 8th century.

Versailles

The French city of Versailles has approximately 85,000 inhabitants and is located in the Île-de-France region. It is world-renowned for the Palace of Versailles, which was largely built in the 17th century for the 'Sun King' Louis XIV. The city partnership was established in 2016.

Zanzibar

The city of Zanzibar has more than 200,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the island of Unguja. Together with the island of Pemba, it forms the semi-autonomous state of Zanzibar within the United Republic of Tanzania. The city partnership was formalised in April 2017.

Iwano-Frankiwsk

Ivano-Frankivsk is one of the smallest regional capitals in Ukraine, with a population of approximately 230,000 people. It is located in the Carpathian foothills, which is part of the historical region of Galicia. The city partnership between Potsdam and Ivano-Frankivsk was formalised in April 2023.