In 1415, Potsdam became the property of the Hohenzollerns.
In 1660, the city was chosen as the hunting residence of the Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick William I, and became the core of a powerful state that later transformed into the Kingdom of Prussia.
Stuttgart is the seat of a Protestant bishop (Protestant State Church in Württemberg) and one of the two co-seats of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
The Pentecostal Gospel Forum based in Stuttgart is the largest place of worship (megachurch) in Germany. It is also the seat of a large English-speaking church, the International Baptist Church.