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: 76
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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]
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Recent Visits/Logs:
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André de Montbard visited Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany 04/25/2022 André de Montbard visited it
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