Roon-Denkmal

The Roon Monument at the Great Star (Großer Stern) in Berlin's Tiergarten honors the Prussian army reformer Albrecht von Roon. Created by Harro Magnussen in 1904, the 36-foot-tall bronze statue shows the field marshal in period uniform, holding his helmet and wearing the Pour le Mérite. It rests on a 20-foot pedestal of shell limestone bearing the gilded inscription "ROON." Originally erected at the Königsplatz, the monument was moved to its present site in 1939 because it stood in the way of the redevelopment plans for Berlin. Today a decorative wall surrounds the statue, recalling Roon's contributions to the army reform and the German victories. A masterpiece of the Berlin school of sculpture, it combines Neo-Baroque and Neoclassical elements.