The equestrian statue of Frederick the Great on Unter den Linden avenue in Berlin's Mitte district commemorates King Frederick II of Prussia. Created from 1839 to 1851 by Christian Daniel Rauch, it is a masterpiece of the Berlin school of sculpture, marking the transition from neoclassicism to realism. The bronze statue shows "The Old Fritz" dressed in military uniform, ermine coat and tricorne hat on horseback above the leading generals, statesmen, artists and scientists of his time. Walled in during World War II, it was disassembled by East Germany in 1950, reassembled in Sanssouci Park in 1963, and returned to its original location in 1980.
History Prussian King Frederick William III commissioned the monument from sculptor Christian Daniel Rauch in 1839. It was cast beginning in 1845 by Karl Ludwig Friebel, whom Rauch brought from Lauchhammer for the purpose; changes to the figures on the base extended work to six years,Wolfgang Vomm, Reiterstandbilder des 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhunderts in Deutschland: zum Verständnis und zur Pflege eines traditionellen herrscherlichen Denkmaltyps im Historismus, dissertation, University of Cologne, 1979, 2 vols. Volume 1 , p. 150 ; the Berlin city monument page misspells Friebel's name as Carl Triebel. and the monument was unveiled on 31 May 1851.Denkmal König Friedrichs des Grossen: enthüllt am 31. Mai 1851, Berlin: Decker, 1851 . It is one of Rauch's best known works, and influenced other monuments erected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The equestrian statue influenced many other monuments and is a registered monument of the City of Berlin. Beneath the equestrian statue itself, the unusually large plinth includes reliefs of the four cardinal virtues and important scenes from Frederick's life, and depictions, many in full relief, of 74 notable men from his reign; bronze plaques beneath the bands of sculpture list military men, philosophers, mathematicians, poets, statesmen, engineers, and others important in Prussia's emergence as a great power in the mid-18th century.
During World War II, the monument was encased in concrete for protection. In May 1950, the East Berlin decided to remove it to the park at the palace of Sanssouci in Potsdam. Metal thieves damaged it after the protective casing was removed, and it was dismantled and taken away between 13 and 19 July."Das Denkmal Friedrichs des Großen", in Das Berliner Schloss und sein Untergang. Ein Bildbericht über die Zerstörung Berliner Kulturdenkmäler, ed. Karl Rodemann, Berlin: Tauber, 1951, , pp. 23–24 . After being stored in pieces and at one point almost melted down,Rudolf Hempel, "Der Ritt in die falsche Richtung", interview with Hans Bentzien, Neues Deutschland, 22 November 1997 (subscription required). by 1962 the monument had been re-erected in the hippodrome at Charlottenhof Palace.
In the 1980s, the East German government changed its politics of memory and especially its position on the Prussian heritage. In 1980 Erich Honecker called Frederick "the Great" in an interview with Robert Maxwell; in the same year, the historian published a relatively positive biography of the king., Friedrich II. von Preußen. Eine Biographie. Berlin: Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften / Cologne: Pahl–Rugenstein, 1980, . The statue was restored and returned to Unter den Linden,T. H. Elkins with B. Hofmeister, Berlin: The Spatial Structure of a Divided City, London/New York: Methuen, 1988, , p. 11 (digital ed. p. 10). approximately east of its old position. West Germany saw a similar return of a more positive view on Prussia with the Berlin exhibition Preußen – Versuch einer Bilanz (Prussia, an attempt at a complete picture). (ed.), Preußen – Versuch einer Bilanz, exhibition catalogue, Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1981. . The preparations to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the founding of Berlin in 1987 led to further reconsideration of the Prussian heritage; that year Gisela May performed a song celebrating the statue's return.Nashenka, "'Der Alte Fritz', Gisela May" , Politiek en Cultuur blog, 19 July 2010 .
After German reunification, the Senate of Berlin had the monument scientifically restored,"Restaurierung des Bronzestandbildes Friedrich II. wurde fachtechnisch einwandfrei ausgeführt", press release, City of Berlin, 14 June 2001 and it was replaced in its original position, with the wrought-iron fence and 19th-century lamp posts recreated. After having paint thrown at it during a protest against the Bundeswehr, it was restored once more in 2006 and given a coating of wax to protect against graffiti.SAF, "Alter König frisch gereinigt", Berliner Morgenpost, 19 October 2006, archived at the Wayback Machine, 10 March 2007 .
Description and location
The monument is tall, with the equestrian statue itself standing high. It depicts Frederick in military uniform and an ermine-trimmed cloak, wearing his decorations, and with his characteristic bicorne hat; he holds the reins in his left hand and in his right has a walking stick. The statue is mounted on an unusually tall plinth, high, bearing two bands of additional sculpture above a band of inscriptions: the upper section shows scenes from the king's life, with the four cardinal virtues at the corners, while the middle depicts 74 great men of Frederick the Great's time in life size, many in full relief."Denkmal König Friedrich II. von Preußen" , Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt, Berlin, revised 10 April 2014
The statue stands at the east end of Unter den Linden, facing east at the west end of the former Forum Fridericianum (now Bebelplatz) towards the site of the royal palace.Hartwig Schmidt, "Architecture and Urban Planning 1850–1914", Berlin/New York: Like and Unlike: Essays on Architecture and Art from 1870 to the Present, ed. Josef Paul Kleihues and Christina Rathgeber, New York: Rizzoli, 1993, , pp. 128–44, p. 130. It is enclosed by a low wrought-iron fence, which was recreated when the monument was restored and replaced in its original position.
Upper band The upper sculpted band, immediately below the statue of the king, shows in bas-relief scenes from his life and is garnished at the corners with emblems of the four cardinal virtues in full relief.Denkmal König Friedrichs des Großen: Enthüllt am 31. Mai 1851, Berlin: Verlag der Deckerschen Geheimen Ober-Hofbuchdruckerei, 1851, repr. Leipzig, 1987 .
Middle band The middle band depicts 74 men of Frederick the Great's time in life-size; some, such as the figure of his brother August, are free-standing; others are depicted in high relief. A few, including James Keith, are in bas-relief. As with the upper band, four figures in full relief stand at the corners, this time on horseback: Frederick's brother, Prince Henry of Prussia; Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz; and Hans Joachim von Zieten.
Between the mounted figures stand 25 of the key men of Frederick's career. Some of them are full-sized free-standing figures and several are carved in partial relief. The figures represented are predominantly military, but also include civilians of note, including diplomats, the Prime Minister of Prussia, jurists, poets, artists, and philosophers.