Then called Hundebrücke, after the accompanying packs of dogs, the pile bridge was rebuilt in 1738 and later served Napoleon's troops as a direct route into the city centre.

In the early 19th century, the wooden bridge was considered inadequate by King Frederick William III of Prussia, who ordered a new prestigious construction and commissioned his court architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

First studies and drafts date from 1819; construction started two years later, then part of a general project to refurbish the whole area on Unter den Linden between Spree and present-day Bebelplatz.

From the new arch bridge built of sandstone, the broad Unter den Linden boulevard ran in a direct line to the western city limits at Brandenburg Gate.

On 29 November 1823, during the marriage of Crown Prince Frederick William IV with Princess Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, large crowds thronged across the yet uncompleted construction and 22 people drowned falling into the river.