Nauener Tor (Nauen Gate), Potsdam

The Nauen Gate (Nauener Tor) is one of the three remaining city gates of Potsdam, located near the Dutch Quarter. Built in 1755 according to a sketch by Frederick the Great and designed by architect Johann Gottfried Büring, the gate is an early example of English Neo-Gothic style on the European continent. Alongside the Hunter's Gate (Jägertor) and the Brandenburg Gate, the Nauen Gate stands on the road leading to Nauen and was constructed to enhance the visual axis from Potsdam's city center towards Nauener Straße, with its Gothic, medieval-inspired architecture chosen to impart an appearance of greater antiquity.

This architectural choice makes the Nauen Gate a notable rarity in European architectural history, as it is the oldest example of neo-Gothic architecture on the mainland, alongside the first neo-Gothic buildings in England. Originally, the gate featured a baroque design framed by two plastered round towers with crenellations and conical stone points. Side extensions with pointed arch arcade openings, adorned with grotesque heads, further emphasized the medieval impression. In the 19th century, during the demolition of the city wall, the baroque elements of the Nauen Gate were removed and replaced in 1867 with a neo-Gothic gate featuring a larger pointed arch-shaped opening, maintaining the Gothic aesthetic.

The Nauen Gate underwent extensive renovations in 1996-1997, during which it was restored to its historic appearance, including its original coat of paint. The reconstruction in the mid-19th century also connected the individual towers in the neo-Gothic style, enhancing the unity of the structure. Today, the two wings of the gatehouse are two restaurants, making it not only a historical landmark but also a functional space within Potsdam.