Brandenburger Tor, Berlin

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The Tor is quite an imposing monument and seems to set itself off as the center of Berlin. There always seems to be a crowd around, thus it is tough to get pictures. A short walk to the Reichstag, the US Embassy and the British Embassy. A little more of a crowd when I stopped by in early October 2010 and the City was hosting a 20 year anniversary party of the Reunification of East and West Germany.

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During the Cold War, the gate sat in the middle of what was then the death strip in the middle of the Berlin Wall. Today it is a major tourist attraction and a monumental entry to Unter den Linden. It suffered considerable damage during WW2 and was fully restored in the early 2000's. In earlier years it was part of a medieval wall. Napoleon took the Quadriga, which sits atop the gate, to Paris after he defeated the Prussians in 1806 and after Napoleon's defeat in 1814 it was restored to Berlin and Victoria's wreath of oak leaves was added with a new symbol of Prussian power, the Iron Cross. It is regarded as one of Europe's most famous landmarks.

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Brandenburg Gate is a landmark in Berlin. It used to be the monumental entry that led to the palace of the Prusian monarchy. It was built at the end of 18th century (between 1778-1791) by Carl Gotthard and it’s supposed to be the most beautiful among the 18 gates of the city(the only one we can see today).

As you can see on pic 1 it has 12 huge Doric columns (in pairs) with tourists come and go non stop. The most interesting/funny moment on our visit there was when we saw the trooper from Star Wars standing in front of the Gate (pic 4)! Strange to see that but definitely better than the wall that was there behind the gate for 30 years. The Gate looks much better during the night when it’s lited up but I have only analog pics.

On the top of the gate you can see the Quadriga, a sculpture that shows Victory in a chariot that is drawn by four horses.

The gate is the spot where parades, demonstrations, rallies etc take place.
Usually, there are people dressed like officers(pic 2) from the Cold Era and for 1 euro you can take a pic with them or buy a “visa” for entering the territory :)

At the back side we noticed a strange open space that looks like a cemetery (pic 3), we got lost there for a while.

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The Brandenburg Gate is the only surviving gate of a series of entrances into the city through the wall encircling Berlin. It is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden which originally led to the palace of the Prussian monarchs. It was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, and constructed between 1778 and 1791. It consists of 12 Doric columns in six pairs, which form 5 passageways - originally ordinary citizens were only allowed to use the outer two. The sculpture on top of the gate is known as the Quadriga; it depicts Victory in a chariot drawn by four horses.

It is situated at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, next to Pariser Platz.

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The historical Branderburger tor, a symbol of the division during the Cold War, is now an icon of German reunification. Designed by Carl Gotthard Lanhans, was considered the most beautiful of the 18 city gates. In 1987, against this background, the then U.S. president Ronald Reagan, gave the famous words, "Lord Gorbachow, breaks down this wall."

La historica Branderburger tor, simbolo de la division durante la guerra fria, es ahora el icono de la reunificacion alemana. Diseñada por Carl Gothard Lanhans, era considerada la mas bonita de las 18 puertas de la ciudad. En 1987, frente a este escenario, el entonces presidente de los Estados Unidos Ronald Reagan, pronunció las famosas palabras, "Señor Gorbachow, derribe este muro".

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The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin's only remaining city gate, is the true symbol of the city. Because it was situated in the no man's land just behind the »wall, it also became symbolic of the division of the city.

The Brandenburg Gate is the trademark of Berlin. The main entrance to the city, surrounded by the wall for thirty years, was known throughout the world as a symbol for the division of the city and for the division of the world into two power blocs.

Today's international visitors to Pariser Platz come to re-experience this first gateway to the city, and to enjoy the long-denied freedom to walk through this magnificent work of art and look at it up close.

We decided to view the Brandenburg Gate as one of our must sees while on our 3 night visit in February 2008 to Berlin.

We went to the Brandenburg Gate during the day and returned again armed with my camera and tripod. The picture was taken at around 17.30hrs just as the sun was going down.

The Gate is totally different at night, which is fantastically lit up to highlight the twelve Doric columns, six to each side, forming five passageways and the Quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory

Restoration work carried out on the gate from 2000 to 2002 by the Stiftung Denkmalschutz Berlin (Berlin Monument Conservation Foundation).

Today, it is considered one of Europe's most famous landmarks.

Berlin's most famous landmark, standing where the Wall was, is Brandenburg Gate. Built in 1791, it has stood as the symbol of Prussia, then Germany. Napoleon marched through this gate with his Grande Armee on his way to Russia in 1812. He sent the Quadriga (the Goddess of Victory, mounted atop the gate) back to Paris as a trophy. But in 1814, a victorious Prussian Marshal Blucher returned it to its rightful place.

Since then, it's been the centerpiece of parades, rallies, and revolutions. In 1918, a rally was held here to proclaim the new Weimar Republic. Later, the Nazis paraded through this gate, to announce the end of the Republic. During the Cold War, it was cordoned off, becoming neutral territory between West and East Berlin. Today, the newly restored gate is the center of public events in the reunified city.