The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-31


mark bic statue of Frederick the Great
Observations Of a New Orieanian Abroad
European Correspondence OF the Bulletin.l
BERLIN, September, 1875.
Dear BHletn-As the weather is fine anc
circumstances generally favorable for Spat
zierqanq, propose to take your readers an
other promenade on The great central thor
oughf3re Of Berlin, which now presents very
different appearance to that described In
previous letter Of raine, dating some time
along in the early spring, when the trees OF
Inter den Linden, as well as those OF the great
parks and gardens were all bare and seemingly
lifeless, and when the chilly winds OF the
north aud west whistled drearily through their
leafess branches from morning to night as IN
a land where sunny summer is stranger.
Now, these trees arc in full foliage, and the
effect upon the scene, of which they form 50
important feature, is truly magical. Inter
den Linden is gay and brilliant on winter
evening when Lit with thousand lamps, and
thronged with passing people, and strangely
picturesque, rs l haze once described 1t at
midnight, when it's lofty palaces and monu
ments rear themselves in the pale moonlight
from a led of spotless snow; but now that
summer is at It's height, and all nature IS re-
ioicino in yerdure and flowers, this broad vista
of Berlin presents picture SURPRISING IN
beauty, in briliancy and gayesy, any that the
picturesque attributes OF winter can give. l
used to wonder why people talked SO rnuch
and wrote 80 much about the beauty OF
Inter den Linden, for when the trees are sere
and leahess as first saw them, it Is hard to
realize that this street can become 30 beautl-
full; but now the riddle is solved, and l see
that all the praises that have been bestowed on
thi, famous avenue are just.
The street itself is comparatively short, as
think / have already remarked IN former
letter, extending from the Lust Garten, on
the Spree, to the Brandenburger Thor, where
the great city park, the Thier Garten begins.
Starting at the former we notice first the I'M
posing buildings by which the square is
bounded HIRE on the left, going toward the
Brandenburger Thor, rises the vast KONG
liches Schloss, where former kings of Prussia
were wont to reside This great building
dates back 10 1899, and was for the most part
erected by the great Kurfurst FrsdercWiliam,
of Brandenburg, the grandfather of Frederic
the Great. To this prince Berlin is indebted.
in reality, for its first importance as city.
At the end Of the thirty years war the place
was almost in desolation; III all, it could mus
ter but GO0O inhabitants; famine and need
stalked abroad through the dilapitated streets,
and what is now the principal square of the
city was then bushy swamp. But the con-
auering Kurfurst came, and with his accession
to the throne the dawning of a better day be-
gan. Hs surrounded himself with brilliant
court invited artists and artisans from other
countries to come to Prussia, encouraged
manufactures, began the repair of the dilapi-
tated buildings and the erection Of new ones,
in short, gave start to enterprise OF every
sort in the place. His Queen, Dorothea,
planted the first lime tree with her own hands
on the now famous Inter den Linden, and
many of the local names are taken from that
of this princess.
On the right lie the great musuem build
ings and the National Gallery, and in the
rear the quaint old cathedral, small pile that
looks as it it had got in among its more i'm
posing neighbors by some accident Then,
as we leave the Lust Garten, and advance
westward, we cross the Spree by an elegant
bridge, along whose parapets, on either side,
are an array OF classic statues 1t is wonder
full, by the way, what vast number OF such
statues one sees in and about this city, for
no matter where the eye turns, it is almost
sure 10 fall upon graceful sculptures Of mar
BILE or bronze The igurts on that bridge.
mounted on massive pedestals Of polished
granite, represent in the ideal the life Of our
ancient hero. There is Minerva, teaching
youth to use the spear and shield. The
same goddess guiding his arms in bat
tie, and so on through eight groups, until at
last the dying warrior sinks into the arms of
an attendant deity who crowns him with the
laurel wreath, and bears him to Olympus.
Crossing the bridge, we notice first, on the
right hand, large and massive building, con-
spicuous for it's tasteful architecture and orna-
mentatiop, which, we are told, is the Zsugha,ts
where the trophies of war are kept. Here,
again, we see the triumphs of the sculptoIs'
art in the colossal figures that guard the
doors, and in the warlike decorations that
stand out from the cornices aud friezes on
every side.
on the left, the second house from the
river is the elegant and comparatively new
palace of The Crown Prince, rom which one
often sees the royal standard of England and
Prussia waving together, as the Crown Prin-
cess is the eldest daughter Of Queen Victoria,
and of course entitled to the privilege of
floating the standard Of British royalty. On
the right again is small stone structure like
a Grecian temple, where the royal guards
have their headq 1arters, and where display
G,a fol