Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam and Luisenplatz

The Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam is located at the western end of Brandenburg Street, which runs in a straight line in the opposite direction to St. Peter and Paul Church.

During the second Baroque city expansion in 1733, the first Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam was built. The country road leading to the city of Brandenburg began at the outer square of the gate. This was also where the direct routes to the royal palaces and gardens of Potsdam converged.

After the Seven Years' War, Frederick the Great wanted to symbolize Prussia's rise to become one of the European great powers by building a new, grand triumphal arch at the entrance to the garrison city. Accordingly, Carl von Gontard and his pupil Georg Christian Unger designed the new gate in 1770/1771, inspired by the Roman triumphal arches.

Unger skillfully highlighted the outer side of the gate with a sculpted classical column architecture, making it an eye-catching focal point for the streets leading radially from the west. The high attic of the gate is crowned with expansive war trophies and a coat of arms cartouche. The city side of the gate was designed by Gontard with Corinthian-style pilasters and trophies.

The Brandenburg Gate also served as a striking feature for Brandenburg Street. The square in front of the gate on the city side not only controlled the people and goods leaving the city but also created a spacious area to showcase the gate’s architecture.

In the 19th century, the smaller side passages, which had previously housed the guardroom and the rooms for royal customs, were opened up. With the demolition of the city wall, the gate became freestanding.

Luisenplatz

The square in front of the Brandenburg Gate, Luisenplatz, was created in 1744 under Frederick II but was not planted until 1854 by Peter Joseph Lenné. In 1939, the square was paved, and most of the trees were removed, except for a few oak trees, to make way for a parking lot. The redesign carried out from 1999 to 2000 included the construction of an underground parking garage, the planting of rows of lime trees, and the installation of a fountain in the center of the square.

Restoration

The restoration was funded by urban development grants from the federal, state, and local governments, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building, and Nuclear Safety, the State of Brandenburg, and the City of Potsdam.