Nº3 Schinkelplatz

Schinkelplatz is a historic, triangular square in Berlin's Mitte district, close to the Spreekanal and Schlossplatz. The area belongs to Friedrichswerder, a neighborhood that has been built up since the 17th century and once served as the main customs station for river traffic. Its present form goes back to the Prussian landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné, who laid out the square beginning in 1837 as an ornamental space in front of the newly built Bauakademie (Building Academy). It was originally called Platz an der Bauakademie before being named in 1869 after the eminent Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The renaming took place on the occasion of the unveiling of a monument to Schinkel, which was installed alongside earlier monuments to Albrecht Daniel Thaer and Peter Christian Wilhelm Beuth. These three monuments were a novelty in Berlin's history, as they were the first to honor civilian achievers, without military attributes, on a public square.

The square's history has been shaped by destruction and rebuilding. In World War II, the Bauakademie and the surrounding buildings suffered severe damage, while some of the monuments were toppled or damaged. In the East German era, the site was built over when the Foreign Ministry building was erected between 1964 and 1967. After that building was demolished in the 1990s, the long process of reconstructing the historic cityscape began. Between 2007 and 2008, the square was comprehensively restored and reopened on October 17, 2008. Its appearance in 1886/87 was recreated using historical records and finds, such as the foundation of the old exedra bench.

Today, Schinkelplatz impresses with its carefully reconstructed details. You can admire the three historic monuments, whose pedestal reliefs have in part been recreated. A central feature is the fountain, with a basin of Swedish granite and a jet of water surrounded by a wreath of bronze acanthus leaves. The height of the jet can be adjusted to the wind conditions. A semicircular bench of polished granite frames the fountain. The square is bordered on the west by residential and commercial buildings and on the south by the Bauakademie, which has not yet been rebuilt. The surroundings are subject to strict design regulations intended to preserve the historic character, and in recent years the new buildings along the edges of the square have been built to designs by renowned architects.