Jägertor (Hunter's Gate), Potsdam

The Hunter's Gate (Jägertor), built in 1733, is the oldest surviving city gate in Potsdam. Located along the axis of Lindenstrasse, it once served as a northern city exit and derived its name from the nearby electoral Jägerhof. Originally part of the Potsdam excise wall, the gate was not meant for fortification but rather to prevent soldiers from deserting and to control smuggling activities. Due to the angled intersection of Lindenstrasse with the former wall, the Hunter's Gate was also constructed at an angle relative to the wall's path.

After the city wall was demolished in 1869, the Hunter's Gate became a freestanding structure and is notable for its Tuscan-style pillar architecture with straight beams and a crowning group of sculptures. These sculptures feature a stag surrounded by hunting dogs, flanked by flaming grenades, symbolizing its connection to the Jägerhof and its military purpose. The gate’s architrave and crown are made of sandstone, while its rusticated pillars consist of plastered brickwork.

The structural setting of the Hunter's Gate during its construction was captured by Dismar Degen, the court painter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, in an oil painting. This painting, now owned by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Berlin-Brandenburg Foundation, deliberately exaggerates the gate's dimensions, making it appear much larger and more imposing than it is in reality.

Today, the Hunter's Gate remains a significant part of the promenade that traces the former city wall's course. It continues to serve as an attractive focal point on Lindenstrasse, with its position highlighting the contrast between the dense baroque city expansion to the south and the more open villa developments to the north.