Old Market Square, Potsdam

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Old Market Square (March 2016) Alter Markt im Marz 2016 Gopel.jpg
Old Market Square (March 2016)
Old Market Square (2005, before the reconstruction of the City Palace) Alter Markt Potsdam.jpg
Old Market Square (2005, before the reconstruction of the City Palace)
Carl Christian Wilhelm Baron -- Alter Markt in Potsdam (1772) Karl Christian Wilhelm Baron, Alter Markt in Potsdam mit Stadtschloss (Blick in Richtung Schlossstrasse), GK I 5747 original.jpg
Carl Christian Wilhelm Baron — Alter Markt in Potsdam (1772)

The Old Market Square (German: Alter Markt) is a centrally located square in downtown Potsdam which forms the historical centre of the city. The square consists of the area around St. Nicholas' Church. Today the term refers in particular to the area directly in front of the church. It is bordered by several prestigious historical buildings. The square has been the site of much architectural reconstruction work in recent years which has restored much historic building fabric that was lost in World War Two.

Contents

History

The City Palace was originally erected in 1666 under the order of Elector Frederick William. At the time the spot was part of a castle grounds. The Old City Hall was developed between 1753–1755 under the direction of architects Jan Bouman and Carl Ludwig Hildebrant. The marble obelisk in front of the church was added in 1753, following a design by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, in order to emphasise the Roman character of the square. The most famous building in the square, St. Nicholas' Church, was erected from 1830–1837 as a centrally-planned building after classical-style designs by Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

The buildings in the square were largely destroyed by World War II air raids by the Royal Air Force in April 1945. St. Nicholas' Church and the Old City Hall were immediately rebuilt after 1945, and the marble obelisk was restored in 1979. The shaft of the obelisk originally depicted rulers of the House of Hohenzollern who had heavily influenced Potsdam: Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, as well as the kings Frederick I, Frederick William I, and Frederick the Great. Upon restoration the references to the old rulers were removed and replaced by portraits of popular Potsdam architects Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, Carl von Gontard, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and Friedrich Ludwig Persius. [1] Other war ruins were demolished and removed, including those of the City Palace and Barberini Palace. The square was thus left open on the south side. Between 1971 and 1977, a modern-style building for the Fachhochschule Potsdam was added to the west side of the square. Shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, new construction of a theatre began in the former location of the City Palace. Its skeleton was torn down several years after the local government decided to bring new construction in line with the historical style. A new location for the theatre (today the Hans Otto Theater) was selected on the shore of the Tiefer See in the city. In 2007 incremental reconstruction of the entire square was resumed.

The Potsdam capital now aims for a complete restoration of the square in its original form, along with the bordering historical area, in around 2025. The following points have been implemented so far, in the quest for a revived Potsdamer Mitte (downtown): [2]

Buildings

The square is surrounded by the following buildings and facilities:

Construction projects at and around the Old Market Square:

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52°23′45″N13°3′40″E / 52.39583°N 13.06111°E / 52.39583; 13.06111