Normalhöhenpunkt 1879, Zero-level elevation point in Berlin, Germany
The Normalhöhenpunkt 1879 is a zero-level elevation reference point in Berlin that once served as the standard for all height measurements across Germany. A steel stele 2.50 meters tall marks the location near the Jewish Museum and documents the spot where surveyors set their baseline measurements.
The point was established in 1879 by the Prussian Land Survey as the foundation for nationwide elevation measurements. Its reference level was calculated from Amsterdam's water levels, and though operations relocated decades later, this marker remains as a document of how measurement systems evolved.
The name reflects the measurement system established in 1879 and serves as a quiet monument to German engineering standards of that era. Today it stands as a reminder of how such reference points once anchored the entire mapping process across the country.
The marker is located near the Jewish Museum and can be easily reached on foot in the city center. Visitors should know that it is a small, discrete monument that can be easily missed, so some attention when looking is needed.
The establishment of this reference point was deliberately timed to coincide with an imperial birthday celebration, linking technical precision with court ceremony. This connection reveals how surveying projects in that era were intertwined with matters of state importance.
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