Rauenberg, Memorial stone and triangulation station in Tempelhof, Germany

Rauenberg is a monument in Tempelhof consisting of an oversized cube-shaped granite triangulation pillar rising from a tower-like base. Bronze and copper plates on its east and west sides show the coordinates and a map of the Prussian main triangulation network. It stands about ten meters above the historical summit of the Rauenberg hill.

The Rauenberg triangulation point became the fundamental point of the Prussian main triangulation network in 1853, with astronomical measurements taken in 1853 and 1859. It defined the Rauenberg Datum on the Bessel ellipsoid, later used for the Reichsdreiecksnetz (1940) and the Deutsches Hauptdreiecksnetz until 1991. The original hill was destroyed around 1910 by gravel quarrying, and the Helmertturm in Potsdam was then declared the central point.

The monument's east side carries a bronze plate with the coordinates and azimuth to the Marienkirche; the west side has a copper plate engraved with the Prussian main triangulation network as of 1900. The design came from a competition held by the Berlin DVW, and the granite block imitates an oversized survey mark.

The monument was restored between 2008 and 2010 after suffering vandalism damage. Keep in mind that trees now block the original view toward Marienkirche, so explore the site from different angles to get a sense of its location.

The monument stands about ten metres above the historic summit of the Rauenberg, which was destroyed around 1910 by gravel quarrying. The hill visible today is the Marienhöhe, heaped up in 1949–1951 with rubble from the Second World War and now a public green space.