Cecilienhof Palace
The Potsdam Agreement
Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Josef Stalin at the Potsdam Conference, July 1945 (Photo: Potsdam Museum)
Built by Emperor Wilhelm II for crown prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie, this palace is one of the most important historic sites of the post-war era. From 17 July to 2 August 1945, the three government leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition (Soviet Union, USA, Great Britain) met in the Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam for the first time since Germany's surrender. The most important outcomes of the conference were the establishment of basic political and economic guidelines for dealing with Germany and the cession of territories to the Soviet Union and Poland.