 The Prussian Royal residence was located at Potsdam approximately 25 km west of Berlin, which at the beginning of the 19th century already had more than 200,000 inhabitants.Although railways were already being built in England, the sceptical attitude of the King Friedrich Wilhelm III delayed the establishment of a railway in Prussia.After the opening of the Bavarian Ludwig Railway showed that railways could be operated economically in Germany, it was decided to establish a railway in Prussia.