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 Napoleon at the Garrison Church - Potsdam, Germany
N 52° 23.750 E 013° 03.217
33U E 367567 N 5806847
After conquering the Prussian capital on October 24, 1806, Napoleon paid tribute to Prussian King Frederick the Great, whose tomb was in the Garrison Church.
Waymark Code: WMZV8Q
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 01/07/2019
Views: 6
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For over 200 years, Potsdam's Court and Garrison Church, built in 1732, was one of the biggest churches in the Prussian capital.
The church was destroyed during a WW II bombing raid in 1945 and the remains were demolished by order of East Germany's communist government in 1968.
In 2013, it was decided to rebuild the church in its old glory. Construction started in October 2017. Right now, there is only a construction site (picture below) and a plaque (picture right).
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Unfortunately, the only original pictures we can submit right now are a picture of the construction site and a picture of the commemorative plaque.
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Here is how all this relates to Napoléon Bonaparte:
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On October 24, 1806, Napoleon took Potsdam and a day later he marched into Berlin. While in Potsdam, the French Emperor visited the tomb of King Frederick the Great. Here is what American writer John Lawson Stoddard wrote about this moment in history in Volume XVII of his "Lectures."
At midnight, on the 4th of November, 1805, Alexander, Tsar of Russia, Frederick William III., and Queen Louisa stood within this church, and, clasping hands above the hero's tomb, solemnly pledged themselves to a coalition against Napoleon. How inscrutable is the future! Just one year later, on the same day of the month, and almost at the same hour, Napoleon in his turn visited this tomb of Frederick, having meantime overwhelmingly defeated the armies of Prussia, Austria, and Russia. The flight of the Prussians from Potsdam had been so hasty that many relics of the great Frederick were left behind. Among them was the sword which he had worn during the Seven Years' War. It lay alone upon the warrior's casket. Napoleon had a great admiration for Frederick's military genius, and, as he took his sword into his hands, he exclaimed to the officers of his suite:
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"Gentlemen, this was one of the greatest commanders of whom history has made mention.
If he were alive today, I should not be standing here."
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Garrison Church at the time of Napoleon's visit
Source: Wikipedia |
Napoleon at the tomb of King Frederick the Great
Source: Wikipedia |
How identified / Comment identifie: The world wide web / La Toile
Relevant Website / Site web pertinent: [Web Link]
Visiting Days or Hours / Heures d'ouverture:
24/7
Name of book, tour, or museum - Preciser le nom si livre, tour, ou musee: Not listed
If "other" specify / preciser si "autre": Not listed
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Visit Instructions:[EN] Include at minimum a complete sentence which reflects your experience visiting the site and upload a photo taken by you at the site if possible.
[FR] Ecrivez au moins une phrase complète qui décrira votre expérience lors de la visite et téléchargez une photo du site prise par vous si possible.
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