Obelisk, Potsdam

Obelisk, Potsdam

Potsdam is a city that has a significant number of memorials, monuments and public art displays. Several obelisks can be found throughout Potsdam. However, when one speaks of The Obelisk, they are referring to the Obeliskportal in Sanssouci Park.

The Obelisk is located at the eastern entrance to Sanssouci Park. It was was erected at the behest of Frederick the Great in 1747 from a design by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff. The Obelisk, along with accompanying sandstone statues, was meant as a decorative piece for visitors to see as they exited the park.

The Obelisk is distinctive for having ornate hieroglyphs carved throughout. These hieroglyphs are purely created using artistic vision. They cannot be translated into actual words, sentences or stories.

Sanssouci Park is the park surrounding Sanssouci Palace. The park is open daily from 6 AM through dusk. There is no charge for entering the park but donations are accepted.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Potsdam. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Obelisk on Map

Sight Name: Obelisk
Sight Location: Potsdam, Germany (See walking tours in Potsdam)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Potsdam, Germany

Create Your Own Walk in Potsdam

Create Your Own Walk in Potsdam

Creating your own self-guided walk in Potsdam is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Potsdam Introduction Walking Tour

Potsdam Introduction Walking Tour

Potsdam was likely founded during the seventh century by the Hevelli tribe. The town was mentioned by the name of Poztupimi in a document from Emperor Otto III. The name likely came from an old Western Slavonic term roughly meaning "beneath the oaks."

By the early 1300s, a small town had formed with a town charter. By 1573 the town had around 2,000 people living there. Potsdam rose to...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles
Sanssouci Park Walking Tour

Sanssouci Park Walking Tour

Sanssouci Park is a unique Potsdam landmark that occupies 290 hectares in the heart of the city. The Park is named after the Sanssouci Palace that it surrounds, which in turn takes its name from the French phrase "sans souci", which means carefree, and implies that the palace was designated as a place of fun, rather than a seat of power.

Indeed, the Sanssouci Palace was built in 1747...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Neuer Garten Walking Tour

Neuer Garten Walking Tour

Laid out at the behest of Friedrich William II in 1787, Potsdam's Neuer Garten (New Garden) was indeed "new" compared to the already in place Sanssouci Park.

Between 1816 and 1828, the area was modified further as an English-style, open landscape garden, with an aim to reproduce nature – trees and plants were left to grow naturally, unshaped and untrimmed. Rural life was also...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles