Prussian National Monument for the Liberation Wars

The National Monument for the Liberation Wars on the Kreuzberg hill in Berlin's Viktoriapark commemorates the victories over Napoleon between 1813 and 1815. Karl Friedrich Schinkel built it between 1817 and 1821 on commission from Frederick William III as a cast-iron, nineteen-metre-tall pointed pyramid in the English Neo-Gothic style. Twelve niches hold figures by the workshops of Christian Daniel Rauch and Friedrich Tieck, each personifying a decisive battle from Gross-Beeren to Belle-Alliance. A gilded Iron Cross sits at the top and gave the surrounding Kreuzberg district its name. An artificial waterfall was added to the park in 1879; since 1888 an eight-metre plinth has lifted the monument above the treetops. The climb up from Kreuzbergstrasse is free; the plateau offers one of the broadest panoramic views over southern Berlin, especially at sunset.