|
 Alter Stadtwächter - Potsdam, Germany
N 52° 23.908 E 013° 02.893
33U E 367208 N 5807149
A former toll house, now serving as a restaurant
Waymark Code: WM105FD
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 03/02/2019
Views: 1
|
Today, Alter Stadtwächter (meaning Ye Old Town Watchman in German) is a popular restaurant. But for over 100 years, it was the town's toll house. The house is not just close to the old city walls, it is actually part of it (pictures above). For the last 300 years, the building had quite a colorful history:
In 1713, king Frederick William I, popularly known as "the Soldier-King" declared the Prussian capital Potsdam the "Heart of the Military Monarchy." Only a few months after his inauguration, the first battalion of riflemen marched into town, three more battalions followed shortly after.
In 1722, the King had a wall built around the city - not to keep enemies out, but to keep soldiers from deserting. Next to the city's Brandenburg Gate, a guard house for the King's Uhlan-Guard was incorporated into the wall.
|
|
Between 1713 and 1740, the town's civilian population grew from 1,500 to almost 12,000 and most of them made a living by supplying the military. Thus, there now was a need to protect the city's wealth and the wall became known as the Akzisemauer or Toll Wall and the former guard house became the official toll house of the city. It was used until the mid 1800s, when the town grew past the original walled-in boundaries.
For the next 150 years, the house was used for several purposes, ranging from horse stables to a workshop and a library. In 1993, it opened as a restaurant. |
|
Rating: 
|
Visit Instructions:
Tell us about your visit. Please supply a couple of photographs. Do you know any historical information about this toll house.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|
|