Spittelkolonnaden, Baroque architectural structure at Marion-Gräfin-Dönhoff-Platz, Berlin, Germany.
Spittelkolonnaden is a Baroque architectural structure at Marion-Gräfin-Dönhoff-Platz comprising two semi-circular open colonnades with Ionic capitals. This structure was originally built over the southern fortress ditch and forms a symmetric decorative whole with paired wings on either side.
King Friedrich II of Prussia commissioned architect Carl Philipp von Gontard to build these colonnades in 1776 to span the southern fortress ditch. Following World War II damage, the structures were reconstructed at their current location in 1979, preserving a key piece of Prussian urban planning.
The colonnades display the classical language of 18th-century Berlin architecture, with columns and ornaments that shaped the city's visual character. Visitors can still see the craftsmanship in the reconstructed elements that match the original design.
The structure sits near Leipziger Straße and is easily accessible on foot from Spittelmarkt, with good transit connections nearby. The open plaza around the colonnades provides room to explore and photograph without major restrictions.
A historic milestone obelisk from 1730 once stood here, marking the point from which distances to Potsdam were measured. A bronze plaque still commemorates this role as a key reference point in the city.
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