Friedrich Wilhelm II.-Statue

The Friedrich Wilhelm II monument stands on Schulplatz in Neuruppin’s old town centre. It is a life-size bronze statue of the Prussian king on a red granite pedestal, surrounded by a low iron fence and a small garden. The design came from Karl Friedrich Schinkel, one of Prussia’s leading architects, and the figure was modelled by Christian Friedrich Tieck. The monument honours the king for financing the rebuilding of Neuruppin after the great fire of 1787. Schinkel himself had lost his home in that blaze as a six-year-old. The bronze was cast by Hopfgarten, the pedestal carved by local stonemason Trippel, and the garden planted around 1865. In 1947 the statue was quietly removed, but after reunification citizens raised funds for a faithful replica, unveiled in 1998. Visitors now find the king’s statue back on its original site opposite the Alte Gymnasium. The granite pedestal still carries its 1829 inscription, and a small bronze plaque records Schinkel’s words of dedication. The surrounding square is part of Neuruppin’s carefully restored historic quarter, where 18th-century façades line quiet streets.