First mentioned in 993 when it still was a tiny village surrounded by wet land. Since then the land was dried and Potsdam could grow in size. Gates remind of 2 periods where this happen to quite a big extend. As the residence for the Prussian kings and home to many people from different religions and countries Potsdam has a lot of parks and castles as well as houses from many different styles. SansSouci - built after Versailles, the New Gardens where the Potsdam conference took place shortly after World War 2 in an English style house, the Russian colony, the Dutch Quarter, a Chinese tea house and many houses in Italian style. Potsdam is also home to people like Marlene Dietrich and many movies which were filmed in the film studios in Babelsberg. Being close to Berlin adds to its attractiveness for tourists.