Neue Wache
The Neue Wache (New Watch House) was constructed in 1816 under the design of architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The structure sits on the north-side of the Unter den Linden, a major east-west street at the centre of Berlin. The Neue Wache was originally built as a guardhouse for the troops of the Crown Prince of Prussia. The building is a leading example of German neo-classicism and has served as a war memorial since 1931. Featuring Doric columns, the building is shaped like a Roman castrum. A collection of statues sit in the pediment of the building thus symbolizing Prussia's role in the Napoleonic Wars (Wars of Liberation). The statuary depicts the goddess of victory, Nike, deciding a battle.The Neue Wache served as the royal guardhouse until the end of World War I, just two short years after its construction. The state government commissioned architect Heinrich Tessenow in 1931 to redesign the building so that it could serve as a memorial for those Germans who died in the war. Tessenow converted the interior of the building into a memorial hall that features a circular skylight. At that time, the building was called the ́Memorial for the Fallen of the War.î Shortly before the end of World War II, the building was damaged by a bombing. Since that time, the structure has been repaired and was rededicated as the Neue Wach in 1993.
