The Potsdam Conference

After we toured the villa of the Wannseekonferenz, where the decision of the Holocaust were made by the Nazis, we traveled to the Schloss Cecilienhof, where the Potsdam Conference took place. The Cecilienhof is a giant palace that served as the meeting place for the United States, Great Britain, and U.S.S.R. to decide the fate of war-torn Europe. It was there that the redistribution of land in Europe and the Mediterranean was decided upon. This was also the place where the Iron Curtain fell between the United States and Russia. It was fascinating to walk through the palace. It was not what you would think of as a European palace. It looked like a giant ski lodge. The U.S.S.R. hosted the conference; which explained how the rooms were divided between the countries and what each room served as. It was a contrast to to the ornate Wannseekonferenz and I found it fascinating to read about everything that happened during the peace negotiations. So much of the Cold War and the issues between the West and Russia were a result of the conference. There was no photography allowed inside the palace, but I was able to sneak a photo of the room where the conference was held.