Ludwig Yorck

Ludwig Yorck stands in the green space at Bebelplatz, Berlin, as a neoclassical statue by Christian Daniel Rauch. Its figure commemorates Prussian field marshal Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg. Rauch created the sculpture between 1840 and 1855, following the simplicity, symmetry, and classical ideals associated with neoclassicism. The surrounding greenery frames the sculpture at Bebelplatz.

The statue originally stood at the front of Unter den Linden, where it formed part of an urban ensemble until 1950. Since 1963, the figure has occupied the rear of Bebelplatz. This change of setting connects the sculpture to two distinct Berlin surroundings while preserving its tribute to Yorck. Its position today makes the historical figure part of a quieter green space.

In 1812, Yorck signed the Convention of Tauroggen, an armistice with Russia, without the Prussian king’s consent. That decision shifted Prussia away from its French alliance and helped spark the German liberation movement. Rauch’s work links this political turning point with the Berlin school of sculpture and its neoclassical ideals. The figure therefore brings together a field marshal’s act of defiance and a sculptor’s carefully ordered classical form.