Pferdetor

Pferdetor is a clinker gateway in Magdeburg, designed by architect Albin Müller in the late 1920s. The gateway belongs to Magdeburg’s documented architectural heritage. It formed part of the German Theater Exhibition complex on Werder Island, providing access from the former Cour d’Honneur to festival and event grounds. Ceramic horse sculptures define the structure’s upper profile. Clinker pillars rise beneath delicate barrel vaults, while the horse forms echo the arches between them. The ceramic sculptures hold their horses in levade positions. Müller developed the design from the Löwentor, originally planned for Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt, replacing its lions with the Saxon Steed. The surrounding exhibition complex pursued a cultural and architectural presence for the city. The gateway suffered severe damage during the Second World War. Later rebuilding and renovation preserved its role as a visible part of Magdeburg’s exhibition-era architecture. The site record marks the Pferdetor as wheelchair accessible. This mixture of clinker, ceramic, arches and heraldic imagery links the entrance with Magdeburg’s cultural ambitions during the Weimar Republic.