The area where Potsdam is located has been inhabited by humans probably since the Bronze Age. After the migration of peoples, the Slavic Hewelan tribe built a castle on the Havel in the 7th century.
The first documented mention of this place dates back to 993. In the act of donation of the later Emperor Otto III to the abbey in Quedlnburg, the name "Poztupimi" appears.
Until 1317, Potsdam was mentioned as a small town.
