Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Bernd das Brot Team
N 52° 23.762 E 013° 03.633
33U E 368040 N 5806857
One of the few remains of the Potsdam City Castle
Waymark Code: WM2D2E
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 10/14/2007
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
Views: 75
Download this waymark:
.GPX File
.LOC File
.KML File (Google Earth)

King Frederick the Great, the founder of the park and castle of Sanssouci was a cosmopolitan monarch. So it is not surprising that his park contains pieces of Chinese, Japanese, French and Italian Architecture. On his visits in Italy, the King's architect, Georg von Knobelsdorff noticed Obelisks that the Romans had brought from Egypt and decided to add this feature to the cosmopolitan design of the Potsdam Parks.

While the first obelisk was erected in 1747 at the entrance to Sanssouci Park, this one was placed at Old Market Square in front of the City Castle in 1755. The castle was destroyed in World War II and later completely demolished. The obelisk is one of the few remaining features of the old castle complex and is prominently located between St. Nicolas Church and the Old City Hall.

While the Sanssouci obelisk is modeled after old Egyptian obelisks, this one looks more Greek/Roman. Four medallions, one on each side of the obelisk, once depicted Prussian kings, but during a restoration that took place in the 1980's, they were changed to depict Potsdam's four most influential architects, Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Friedrich Ludwig Persius and Carl Phillip Christian von Gontard.

Date Created/Placed: 1755

Address:
Am Alten Markt 14467 Potsdam

Height: 30 ft

Illuminated: no

Website: [Web Link]
Visit Instructions:
Give a narrative of your experience. What did you think of the obelisk? Did you learn anything? Photos are always welcome too. Please no virtual visits.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Obelisks
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
André de Montbard visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 04/25/2022 André de Montbard visited it
dellwo visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 10/23/2015 dellwo visited it
Beorngar visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 03/11/2015 Beorngar visited it
prussel visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 11/30/2014 prussel visited it
Team_Ikarus visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 07/28/2014 Team_Ikarus visited it
sukosun&piratebride visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 05/11/2014 sukosun&piratebride visited it
Calli87 visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 03/10/2014 Calli87 visited it
sorocos visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 05/27/2013 sorocos visited it
JackDante visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 02/27/2013 JackDante visited it
Senior_Stoltze visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 05/09/2012 Senior_Stoltze visited it
Logging_Duck visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 11/13/2011 Logging_Duck visited it
Înanna visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 11/13/2011 Înanna visited it
Team Loewenjaeger visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 07/13/2011 Team Loewenjaeger visited it
DasUmmi visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 03/01/2011 DasUmmi visited it
NuitariXXL visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 12/02/2010 NuitariXXL visited it
Okeanos visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 08/31/2010 Okeanos visited it

View all visits/logs