Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church, Orthodox church in Nördliche Vorstädte, Potsdam, Germany.
The Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church is a brick structure in Potsdam's Nördliche Vorstädte district that blends Russian and classical design elements. The building is crowned by a distinctive dome and sits on Kapellenberg hill within the Russian colony.
Prussian King Frederick William III commissioned the church between 1826 and 1829 for Russian soldiers living in the neighboring Alexandrowka colony. The project demonstrated the close military and political alliance between Prussia and the Russian Empire at that time.
The church is named after Saint Alexander Nevsky and was built to serve the Russian community in Potsdam. It stands at the heart of a special connection between Russia and Prussia that is reflected in its design and its role for the local Russian population.
The church sits on Kapellenberg in the Russian colony and is generally not open to casual visitors since it is used for religious services. It's worth checking opening times in advance and respecting that worship takes priority.
The building was designed by two renowned architects: Russian Vasily Stasov and Prussian Karl Friedrich Schinkel, who united their traditions. This rare artistic collaboration between the two cultures appears in few other structures from this period.
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