Pförtnerhaus (Gatehouse), Potsdam

The gatehouses of Park Babelsberg in Potsdam were built as part of the entrances to the park designed in the style of English parks. These structures served both as sentry boxes and living quarters for the gatekeepers. Originally, there were four gatehouses, of which three have survived to the present day.

The first gatehouse, constructed between 1842 and 1843, is located at the main entrance to Park Babelsberg on the avenue to Glienicke, at the corner of Karl-Marx-Straße. It was designed by the architect Ludwig Persius, with Eduard Gebhardt as the master builder. This building is characterized by its plastered facade, reminiscent of a Norman castle, designed in the Tudor style. Until the Second World War, it functioned as an office and living space for the park’s gatekeepers and attendants.

A second gatehouse was added in 1866 at the southeastern entrance on Grenzstraße, near the intersection of Alt Nowawes and the avenue to Glienicke. Designed by Reinhold Persius, who continued his father's neo-Gothic architectural approach, this gatehouse was constructed with financial limitations that restricted its design to mere hints of the intended neo-Gothic style. This gatehouse, along with the first, is located farther from Babelsberg Castle.

The third gatehouse, known as the Mill Gate, is located in the southern part of the park on the street Am Babelsberger Park, near Mühlenstraße. Built in 1866 by Reinhold Persius, it also reflected the modest neo-Gothic style constrained by limited financial resources. This gatehouse was severely damaged during the Second World War and was demolished after 1945, leaving only its foundations, gate pillars, and a perimeter wall. In 1990, the entrance was renewed, though the gatehouse itself was not reconstructed.

These gatehouses exemplify the historical and architectural significance of the park, blending functional elements with the stylistic influences of the era, despite the varying degrees of preservation and reconstruction over time.