Obelisk has medallions with portraits of 4 architects 4 sculptures of ancient orators on corners and four sphinxes above, Old Market Square,Potsdam
Obelisk has medallions with portraits of 4 architects on base, 4 sculptures of ancient orators on corners and four sphinxes above, Old Market Square, Potsdam, Brandenburg. The obelisk was erected from 1753 to 1755 when Frederick II was transforming Potsdam. The King's architect, George von Knobelsdorff had seen obelisks brought by the Romans from Egypt and decided to add an obelisk to his design of the Potsdam. The base of Knobelsdorff's obelisk was decorated with four medallions showing the Elector Friedrich Wilhelm and the Prussian kings Frederick I, Frederick William I and Frederick II. These were created by Giese. After the WWll, the medallions were removed for political reasons and in 1969 the dilapidated obelisk was dismantled. Ten years later, the obelisk was rebuilt. The four antique statues at the base are still the originals, made by Gottlieb Heymüller. The four medallions at the bottom of the obelisk were replaced with portraits of Potsdam's most influential architects.
Size: 3201px × 5449px
Location: Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
Photo credit: © Eden Breitz / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1753-1755, 4, 1979, ancient, architect, architects, brandenburg, capital, erected, george, germany, gottlieb, heymüller, innenstadt, knobelsdorff, medallions, nordliche, obelisk, orators, orators., portraits, potsdam, reconstructed, sculptor, sculptures, sphinxes, state, von
