Episode 2 of 3

Langhans appointed and construction begins

When: 1788
Where: Berlin, Prussia
Part of: Completion of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

Frederick William II summoned Carl Gotthard Langhans from Breslau to Berlin, appointing him director of the Oberhofbauamt in 1788 as construction of the gate began.

Frederick William II summoned new German architects to Berlin, including Carl Gotthard Langhans from the city of Breslau (today Wrocław in Poland), who was appointed director of the Oberhofbauamt (Royal Office of Works) in 1788. The gate's construction began that year under his designs. Though Langhans had designed many Neoclassical buildings, this was his first significant work in the Greek style, and his last major one.

Sources

Brandenburg Gate Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-05

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