Monument to Frederick II the Great in Szczecin

The marble monument to Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia, unveiled in 1793, no longer stands in its original place. Since 2015 it can be seen in the courtyard of the National Museum in Szczecin on Staromłyńska Street.

The monument of 1793

Construction was initiated by the Prussian foreign minister Ewald Friedrich von Hertzberg. The sculpture was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow and made of white Carrara marble. It was unveiled on 10 October 1793 on the White Parade Square, later named Royal Square, today Polish Soldier Square.

The king stands in military uniform and an ermine cloak, leaning on two books: Artes pacis et belli and Corpus Juris Fried. The sculpture is 2.5 metres high and weighs 3.5 tonnes. On the black plinth are marble reliefs depicting War, Poetry and Music.

The fate of the sculpture

• 1877: because of the effect of the weather on the marble, the monument was moved into the building of the Pomeranian Estates' Diet, and a bronze copy was set up in the square.
• 1942: the sculpture was evacuated to the castle in Swobnica; during transport it fell and broke into three pieces.
• 1956: the damaged work returned to Szczecin, first going to the collections of the Ducal Castle.
• 1990: it was acquired by the National Museum in Szczecin.
• 2009-2011: restoration, after which the sculpture was displayed for four years in the Bode Museum in Berlin.
• 2015: the restored monument was set up in the museum courtyard.

In 1975 a replica cast in bronze was set up in front of Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin.

Practical information

• Place: the courtyard of the National Museum in Szczecin, Staromłyńska Street.
• Check the rules of entry to the courtyard on the museum's website.
• The monument's original site lies not far from the Royal Gate.