Silesian Gate

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The Schlesisches Tor near the Oberbaumbrücke over the Spree around 1750 (model in the Märkisches Museum Berlin )

The Schlesisches Tor was the most easterly of initially five passages in the south of the Spree running part of the Berlin customs wall , which Friedrich Wilhelm I had built.

history

The Berlin excise wall around 1855
The Schlesisches Tor square in 1880
Silesian Gate, 1990

In the course of the construction of the excise wall , Berlin was to be expanded and at the same time a better connection between the inner city and the new and suburbs created; the starting point was the expansion to the south and west. From 1734, the old ramparts on the Cölln side were demolished and a simple wall was built at the same time, which surrounded Berlin extensively and included the area of ​​the later Köpenick suburb . The Schlesisches Tor (also ' Wendisches Tor') near the bridge on the Oberbaum was the easternmost passage in this section and was geographically closest to Silesia . To the west of the Silesian Gate were: Cottbusser Tor , Hallesches Tor , Potsdamer Tor and Brandenburg Gate . Cölln was reached from the Schlesisches Tor via Köpenicker Strasse, which ran parallel to the Spree.

The excise wall, which initially consisted of palisades , was later replaced by a massive stone wall that was straightened in places to better round off the area. In 1840 the Anhalter Tor and in 1848 the Wassertor and Köpenicker Tor were added. Only 20 years later the demolition of the city wall began, which did not stop at the gates that were attractive in terms of urban planning. Of the eight gates in the section, only the Brandenburg Gate and the Potsdamer Gate remained.

Current situation

The intersection of the streets Skalitzer Straße - Oberbaumstraße and Köpenicker Straße - Schlesische Straße is still referred to as the Schlesisches Tor, but the square is not officially dedicated . In its center is the high station of the same name, opened in 1902, on Berlin's first underground line (today: lines U1 / U3 ).

literature

  • Friedrich FA Kuntze: The old Berlin . Verlag für Kunstwissenschaft, Berlin and Leipzig 1937, p. 19.
  • Karlheinz Gerlach (editor): Description of the royal residence city of Berlin - a selection. The edition is based on Friedrich Nicolai's description of the royal residence cities of Berlin and Potsdam, all the peculiarities located there, and the surrounding area , Berlin 1786. Verlag Philipp Reclam jun., Leipzig, 1987, p. 149.
  • Bodo Harenberg (editor): The Chronicle of Berlin . Chronik Verlag, Dortmund 1991, p. 115.

Coordinates: 52 ° 30 ′ 4.4 ″  N , 13 ° 26 ′ 30 ″  E