This statue was already in the planning stages during the monarch's lifetime. Schinkel designed several versions intended for Unter den Linden avenue or near the palace. Christian Daniel Rauch was commissioned to create the statue in 1836, finishing it in 1851. Marking the beginning of the realistic style in Berlin sculpture, the statue served as a model for all subsequent works. Exiled to Potsdam from 1951-80, it now stands in the middle of Unter den Linden.