Fortunaportal, Baroque gate at Old Market Square, Potsdam, Germany
The Fortunaportal is a Baroque gate on the Old Market Square in Potsdam, serving as the main entrance to the City Palace, which today houses the Brandenburg State Parliament. Above the central arch rises a dome topped by a gilded Fortuna statue, while figures of Minerva and Hercules flank the facade on either side.
The portal was designed in 1701 by Dutch architect Jean de Bodt to mark Frederick I's coronation as the first King of Prussia. After being destroyed in World War II and demolished in 1960, it was rebuilt to its original design in 2002.
The portal takes its name from the gilded Fortuna statue atop the dome, which functions as a weather vane turning with the wind. This figure is a distinctive feature that visitors immediately notice when entering the square.
The portal sits directly on the Old Market Square and is easy to reach on foot from the city center. Because it serves as the entrance to an active parliament building, access inside is restricted, but the outer facade can be seen freely at any time.
The Fortuna statue on top of the dome is not purely decorative but works as a real weather vane, rotating with the wind. This functional detail gives the portal its name and makes it one of the few Baroque gates where a moving element is built into the crowning figure.
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