Ionische Säulen

The Ionische Säulen stand on the Ruinenberg, a hill in Potsdam not far from Sanssouci Park. They look like the survivors of some ancient collapse, but the effect is pure theatre. Frederick the Great, a keen student of classical antiquity, set the scheme in motion.

The columns share the hilltop with a Doric round temple, a length of ruin wall and a small pyramid. Together they form a picturesque backdrop for the reservoir, built to feed the fountains down in the park. The Norman Tower followed in the mid-nineteenth century under King Frederick William IV. Ludwig Persius designed it as a twenty-three-metre imitation of a medieval watchtower. Inside, a small exhibition walks you through the park's water system and the thinking behind the whole ensemble.

Crowds linger among the main attractions of Sanssouci Park, and the hill keeps its calm. Climb the tower and one of the finest panoramas of Potsdam opens up around you. Not bad for a ruin that was never ruined.