Frederick the Great Memorial

The equestrian monument to Frederick II of Prussia stands in the court of honour of Charlottenburg Palace and depicts the king, who died in 1786, in tall boots, hat and field coat on a calmly walking horse. It was unveiled in 1793 by Johann Gottfried Schadow on commission from Frederick William II and is one of the first works of Prussian neoclassicism. Schadow deliberately modelled the king without baroque heroising, showing him in his late appearance with snuffbox and sharp profile, which was seen as a break with the equestrian-portrait tradition. The bronze survived the Second World War and has stood again in its original place since the palace was restored. Visitors arriving from Berlin-Charlottenburg meet the statue first and can sense the cool distance Schadow gave to his Frederick.