Friedrich Wilhelm Elector of BRANDENBURG

                   In 1657, after an invasion by the Swedes, Poland surrendered sovereignty over Ducal Prussia which then became the Kingdom of Prussia headed by the Hohenzollern line. In 1511, Albrecht von Hohenzollern, a member of the Frankish line of the Hohenzollern family (the ruling family of the Elecorate of Brandenburg), became the new Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order. He took steps to transform the lands of the Teutonic Order to from a land ruled by a religious order to a secular Duchy, which could be passed on to his descendents. When Albrecht died, he had no direct heirs, so his Duchy, East Prussia, by agreement with the King of Poland, passed in 1618 to the Hohenzollern Elector of Brandenburg, who ruled from Berlin. In 1657, after an invasion by the Swedes, Poland surrendered sovereignty over Ducal Prussia which then became the Kingdom of Prussia headed by the Hohenzollern line. Friedrich was crowned King in 1701. He gave the orders to lay the foundation stone of the Berlin Zeughaus, the Arsenal. The first architect was Johann Arnold Nering. He was followed by Martin GrÃ[1/4]nberg and then, from 1698 to 1699, by Andreas SchlÃ[1/4]ter. The building was given its final exterior form by Jean de Botd in 1706. But it wasn't until 1730 that the construction was finally completed. The Zeughaus is the oldest building located on the avenue Unter den Linden. It is one of most beautiful secular buildings of the Baroque period in northern Germany and owes its special place in art history to the high quality of its sculptural works.