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This is just 
like in the movies!

Of course, Potsdam

Places worth seeing Guided Tours Podcast episode Tipps Online-Shop
Logo of the UNESCO Creative City of Film Potsdam
© City of Potsdam

Potsdam is a film city, stage, and production location all in one. Between historical backdrops and modern sets, a unique urban experience emerges that changes perspectives and evokes precisely this feeling: This is just like in the movies.

What seems like a grand cinematic experience today began in 1911 in a small artificial flower hall in Babelsberg. From this place, a major industry developed. Studio Babelsberg The oldest film studio in the world and one of the most important production locations in Europe. To this day, international productions are created here, shaping the image of Potsdam as a film city.

Since 2019, Potsdam has held the title of UNESCO Creative City of Film. The award represents the connection between tradition and the present, between film history and the current creative economy.

The film city experience

Potsdam Film Museum

Babelsberg Film Park

© PMSG Julia Nimke

Display depot of the Potsdam Film Museum

© PMSG Frederic Köllisch

Boulevard of Film

© PMSG Julia Nimke

Potsdam's 
cinematic history

  • 1899

    Founded in 1899, “Deutsche Bioskop” built a glass studio for film production in 1911 in what is now Babelsberg. Today, Studio Babelsberg is considered the oldest large-scale film studio in the world and the largest contiguous studio complex in Europe.

  • 1912

    Filming for the silent film The Dance of Death, directed by Urban Gad and starring Asta Nielsen, begins on February 12.

  • 1917

    On December 18th, "Universum-Film AG", or Ufa for short, was founded. It is currently one of the largest production companies in Europe and is closely linked to German and international film history.

  • 1927

    Fritz Lang released the film Metropolis. This science-
    Fiction film is the first of its genre in feature-length format and the first film in UNESCO's documentary heritage.

  • 1946

    On May 17th, the "Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft," or DEFA for short, was founded in Potsdam-Babelsberg. Simultaneously, filming was already underway for the first all-German post-war film. The murderers are among us.

  • 1953

    With nearly 13 million viewers, The Story of Little Muck is the biggest hit in DEFA's history.

  • 1992

    One of the first films produced in Potsdam after German reunification is Loriot's cult classic Pappa ante portas. The DEFA becomes “Studio Babelsberg.

  • 2017

    Potsdam has been selected by the German Federal Government as the "Media Tech Hub" – the only digital hub for media technology in Germany. From here, new media technology innovations will be driven forward.

  • 2019

    Since October, Potsdam has been Germany's first and so far only UNESCO Creative City of Film.

  • 2021

    One of Europe's largest permanently installed LED studios for virtual film productions has opened: the DARK BAY Virtual Production Studio. The Netflix mystery series 1899 is one of the first productions.

  • 2024

    Since the summer of 2024, the "Boulevard of Film" has been under construction on Brandenburger Straße. Plaques integrated into the new paving commemorate 55 important films produced in Potsdam and the surrounding region.

  • 2025

    The Potsdam Film Museum's exhibition depot has opened, offering insights into over 100 years of film history. Since September, Fahland's Filmbistro on Brandenburger Straße has complemented the center as a meeting place for food and film.

Film tours 
in Potsdam

Guided tours for groups

on the topic of film

© PMSG Julia Nimke

Media City Babelsberg

Where films are made

“And please!”

The film city of Potsdam

Babelsberg

Film stars, villas, world history

© Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, Bergmann, Guido

Did you know?

Film history was made here: On the Glienicke Bridge Steven Spielberg filmed "Bridge of Spies" with Tom Hanks on the very spot where a spy swap captivated the world in 1962. For the filming, the bridge was painstakingly restored to its historical state – a rare glimpse into a time that otherwise exists only on screen.

films and series
Made in Babelsberg

A tiny selection from the long list of films and series shot at Studio Babelsberg:

  • Metropolis (1927)
    by Fritz Lang, with Brigitte Helm and Gustav Fröhlich among others

  • The Blue Angel (1929-30)
    by Josef von Sternberg, among others with Emil Jannings and Marlene Dietrich

  • The Legend of Paul and Paula (1973)
    by Heiner Carow, with Angelica Domröse and Winfried Glatzeder

  • Good Times, Bad Times (since 1992)
    with over 8.000 episodes!

  • Sonnenallee (1999)
    by Leander Haußmann, with Alexander Scheer and Alexander Beyer, among others

  • The Reader (2008)
    directed by Stephen Daldry, starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes

  • Inglourious Basterds (2009)
    by Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz

  • Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
    by Wes Anderson, starring Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton

  • Bridge of Spies (2015)
    directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks

  • SOKO Potsdam (since 2018)
    including Agnes Kiyomi Decker, Anja Pahl and Michael Lott

  • Matrix Resurrections (2021)
    by Lana Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss

  • The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
    by Francis Lawrence, starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler

  • Maxton Hall – The World Between Us (2024)
    by Martin Schreier and Tarek Roehlinger, with Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten among others

  • Miss Sophie - Same Procedure as Every Year (2025)
    by Markus Sehr and Daniel Rakete Siegel, with Alicia von Rittberg and Moritz Bleibtreu, among others

  • Haveltod (2026)
    by Andy Fetscher, including GZSZ star Wolfgang Bahro

Everything I know about filmmaking, I learned in Babelsberg.
Alfred Hitchcock
Pencil drawing of a director's chair with the inscription "Potsdam" on the backrest.

Behind the scenes 
of the film city

Dein-Potsdam podcast

Since October 2019, Potsdam has held the UNESCO title of "Creative City of Film." Learn more about this distinction in our podcast playlist dedicated to Potsdam as a film city. Lisa Nawrocki, head of the Potsdam UNESCO Creative City of Film office, provides insights into the meaning and significance of this title. Actor Sebastian Stielke reveals which Potsdam invention is even used by NASA. Filmmakers offer exclusive glimpses into their work, and you'll discover why series like... Jerks, SOKO Potsdam or KLEO originate here. You'll also learn about exciting festivals like Sehsüchte, Green Visions or Jewcy Movies. know.

All podcast episodes

Tipps 
for film fans

Potsdam is not only the setting for great film history, but also a stage for unique cinematic experiences. Whether it's open-air cinema under the stars, exclusive screenings followed by discussions, or exciting tours of original filming locations – film enthusiasts will find plenty to enjoy here. The following overview lists current dates and events that bring the film city of Potsdam to life.

 

Always an open door

Accommodations in Potsdam