The Local Germany

How a Potsdam rabbi school is bringing a 'Jewish Renaissance' to Central Europe

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 12:47:27 +0200

The Abraham Geiger College has become a centre of European Judaism, with Rabbis and cantors being trained in Potsdam and Berlin for 20 years.

Last German kaiser's heirs fight for riches lost behind Iron Curtain

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 11:20:56 +0200

A century after Germany's monarchy was abolished, some of its blue-blooded descendants are riding back into battle to reclaim what they see as their royal birthright.

10 fascinating things to see in Potsdam

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 15:00:06 +0200

Only 35 kilometres from Germany's capital, Potsdam is the perfect day trip to tag on to your time in Berlin. From centuries-old Russian settlements to the most notable bridge of the Cold War, you'll be amazed at what Potsdam has to offer.

Weekend Wanderlust: Hiking to the heart of Potsdam

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 18:09:13 +0100

With dreamy pastel colours, grand architecture and sweeping nature scenes, entering Potsdam and its largest district Babelsberg, feels a bit like escaping into another world, especially if you’ve come from industrial-style Berlin. We explored this gorgeous corner of Brandenburg.

10,000 residents evacuated from central Potsdam after WWII bomb discovery

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 12:15:16 +0200

Around 10,000 people in the state capital of Brandenburg were being evacuated from their homes on Tuesday morning as police prepared to disarm an unexploded bomb from the Second World War.

Police advise caution with parcels after million-euro extortion attempt against DHL

Mon, 04 Dec 2017 09:42:28 +0100

Those responsible for a suspicious package that prompted the evacuation of the Christmas market in Potsdam were attempting blackmail, not terrorism, German authorities said on Sunday. Police now advise those accepting packages during the holiday season to be cautious.

Potsdam police disarm explosive device found at Christmas market

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 18:32:54 +0100

German police said Friday a suspicious object that prompted the evacuation of a Christmas market in Potsdam has been confirmed to be an "explosive". They later confirmed that they had successfully defused it.

Trial starts of Berlin man accused of 2 child murders

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 13:54:59 +0200

A German security guard went on trial Tuesday accused of murdering two children, one of them a four-year-old Bosnian boy snatched from a crowded migrant registration centre last year.

Berlin police grab Syrian 'Isis fighter'

Thu, 24 Mar 2016 17:26:45 +0100

German police have arrested a 19-year-old Syrian man accused of having fought with the Isis jihadist group in Syria, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Mohamed killer admits to Potsdam child murder

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 11:31:03 +0100

A man found with the body of a missing refugee child in his car on Thursday has admitted to the child's abduction and murder - as well as to the killing of a child who went missing in Potsdam in July.

Man stands trial for poisoning baby daughter

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:20:36 +0100

A zookeeper is on trial in Potsdam accused of attempting to murder his 8-month-old daughter, feeding her poison until her condition was so severe she fell into a coma.

10,000 evacuated after WWII bomb find

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 15:48:00 +0100

Local authorities evacuated some 10,000 people from central Potsdam after an unexploded Second World War bomb was found on a building site.

Potsdam's Prussian palaces and parks

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:15:00 +0200

As the summer holidays approach, The Local is touring Germany's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Today we visit the Prussian palaces and parks of Potsdam.

'Language doesn't matter - kids are all the same'

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:05:00 +0100

In the first instalment of our new series My German Career, The Local sat down with Potsdam kindergarten teacher Chelsey Funk for a chat about tending Teutonic toddlers.

Rubens copy returns after war booty odyssey

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:45:00 +0200

German officials and the US ambassador celebrated the return of a painting to a Brandenburg palace on Wednesday – even though the work is just a copy of the Rubens original, it is highly valuable.

Jail for dad who killed daughters in car fireball

Thu, 31 May 2012 17:23:00 +0200

A man who murdered his two young daughters by drugging them, strapping them into his car and then setting it on fire after a custody battle with his former wife was jailed for life in Germany on Thursday.

Frederick the Great's 300th birthday nears

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:12:00 +0100

Warrior, patron of the arts and all-powerful King of Prussia, Frederick the Great captured Germany’s imagination after ascending to the throne in 1740. As his 300th birthday on January 24 approaches, the country is preparing to celebrate.

Police: Dead baby may have been slain

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:15:00 +0100

A dead baby found wrapped in towels on the ground in a garage might have been murdered, and could even have been thrown out of a passing train, detectives in Potsdam say.

Prosecutors investigate elite sports school sex assault claims

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:38:00 +0200

Prosecutors are investigating claims that two 16-year-olds sexually attacked classmates at an elite sports school in northern Germany which trains the country's top young athletes.

Kaiser heir weds princess in Potsdam

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:02:00 +0200

Georg Friedrich Prince of Prussia and Princess Sophie von Isenburg were married in front of 650 guests at on the grounds of the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam on Saturday for Germany's own "royal" wedding.