The Schlossbrücke was designed and built by Friedrich Schinkel from 1822 to 1824. It crosses at the east end, the street Unter den Linden the western Spree branch Kupfergraben.

Its predecessor was a wooden bridge, the so-called dog bridge, where hunter gathered with their dogs to go hunting in the fenced wild garden at the city's outskirts. In GDR times the bridge was called Marx-Engels-Bridge.

image author: Gisela Pape

On the pedestal pillars are eight sculpture groups situated. They are made of white marble and were created between 1845-1857 also after plans by Schinkel.

If one walks from the Brandenburg Gate in the direction of Lustgarten, one will find on the bridge's left side the following figure groups:

Nike, supporting a wounded warrior (Ludwig Wichmann before 1857); Going to war, Minerva next the warrior (Albert Wolf ,1853); charging youth, protected by Athena (Gustav Bläser, 1854); Iris, carrying the killed hero to the Olympus (August Wredow, 1841-1857).

On the right side are the following figure groups:

Nike teaches the boy hero history (Emil Wolf ,1847); Pallas Athene trains the boy in javelin throwing (Hermann Schievelbein,1853); Athena arms the warrior for the first fight (Heinrich Möller, 1846-1850); Nike crowns the winner (Friedrich Drake, 1857).

Apart from the figures, the cast-iron rails, which were reconstructed true to the original in 1960 and the bridge lantern created after older models are also worth a mention.