Potsdam terminates park care subsidies: What does that mean for the citizens?

Potsdam beendet 2025 finanzielle Beteiligung an der Pflege der SPSG-Parks. Stadt hofft auf Unterstützung durch Land.
Potsdam ended 2025 financial participation in the care of the SPSG parks. City hopes for support from the country. (Symbolbild/NAG)

Potsdam terminates park care subsidies: What does that mean for the citizens?

Potsdam, Deutschland - in Potsdam, the city councils made a pioneering decision on July 2, 2025: They decided to end the city's financial participation in the care effort of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG) on December 31, 2025. This change means that the city will no longer provide 800,000 euros annually in order to enable the cover gap in the city budget that are urgently needed. rbb24 reported that the funds are no longer planned from the budget year 2026, although the existing contract with the SPSG regularly applies until the end of 2028 should.

The decision to end the nursing agreement prematurely was promoted by the former mayor Mike Schubert (SPD), who also had talks with the SPSG about premature termination. However, it is clear that a corresponding termination agreement is "not desired" by the foundation. Therefore, the city is now planning to pronounce the termination for an important reason and at the same time strive for an accompanying explanation of the SPSG in order to avoid possible legal disputes.

episodes for the parks

The decision also has an impact on the future of Potsdam parks, which should continue to remain accessible without admission money. The Minister of Culture Manja Schüle (SPD) expressed criticism of the city's step, as this could endanger the care and maintenance of the important parking landscapes. The nursing agreement has existed since 2014 and was last extended for the years 2024 to 2028 to compensate for the funding deficit of the SPSG. However, the city of Potsdam would like to continue and further develop the challenges in the parking situation.

Current parking states

In the past few weeks, extreme weather conditions, such as the heat, have caused damage to the parks. In the new garden, which remains closed on July 2 and 3, there is an increased risk of breaks due to drought. The marble palace also remains closed on the same days due to the security situation. In addition, the Sacrow park is currently not accessible because there were considerable damage caused by a storm on June 26th. In the remaining open parks, the path is recommended for safety reasons, while lawn and locked areas should be avoided. The SPSG indicates the dangers that have arisen due to the extreme weather events in the region and calls ongoing cleaning up as a possible cause of further restrictions.

As is going on with the parks and care, it remains to be seen. The city has launched a significant step that will affect the future of the popular recreation areas. The challenge is now to maintain the parks in an appealing state while the city budget is to be relieved.

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OrtPotsdam, Deutschland
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