Brandenburger Tor, Berlin

Untill 1989 western end of Berlin's main boulevard Unter den Linden was also the end of the road open for East Berliners. Margaret Thatcher's tears in front of the Brandenburg Gate seem as the distant history now when all links between East and West are re-established again under the famous sculpture of Quadriga topping the Gates.

This triumphal arch was built in 1791, modelled after the Propylaea in Athens. It saw many armies marching under its arches - Prussian army, Napoleon army and Nazis all marched under, but later the GDR army misunderstood the meaning of the word Gate and made it part of the notorious Wall, forbidding free passing under the Quadriga.

The Quadriga sculpture that crowns the gate was built in 1793 as a symbol of piece and was stolen by Napoleon in 1806 and taken to Paris, triumphally returned at its original place after the Battle of Waterloo and turned into a symbol of victory.

Today it is interesting to stop for a while in front of this famous landmark of Berlin and think about the history that shaped this city.

Recently the traffic was closed and today the area in front of the Gates is packed with the tourists. There is a very informative Tourist Office on the southern part of the Gates.

2 more images

"From the eastern side the Brandenburger Tor was a magnificent sight, framing the expansive Tiergarten behind it and the long straight boulevard that separated it. The Tor had been seared into my mind the night of October 3rd, 1989, when the once divided Germans met up on that very spot to join in enormous celebrations that were televised around the world. These were possibly the most powerful symbolic images of the whole Glasnost era, especially for me, and we were standing there, on the eve of Germany's 16th anniversary of this event. However, despite the fireworks and the Brazilian band playing in Alexanderplatz, it was a strangely subdued feeling for a national holiday of this significance. It seemed that the celebration of the Fernsehturm’s birthday was garnering more excitement." - from my travelogue

The Brandenburger Tor is probably the most symbolic landmark in Berlin, and likely to be the number one destination for any tourist visiting the city. It is also conveniently central, and a good starting point for wandering to see any of the city, east or west. The gate was right on the border between East and West Berlin, but didn't form part of the wall. Instead the gate was cut off from the world, both eastern and western parts, by the communist authorities of the DDR. It was inaccessible to the public for 28 years, before finally the German people of east and west met each other on this spot in an emotional and historic event, on October 3rd, 1989.

The Tor has an even longer history than that. It was built between 1788 and 1791, as a city gate and triumphal arch, modelled on the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The celebration of the first real unification of Germany, called the Second Reich, with the first being the Holy Roman Empire, was held her in 1871. It was also the site of Nazi celebrations in 1933, when torch lit marches saw Hitler taking the reigns of the German republic.

1 more image

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.

The Brandenburger gate was designed by Carl Gotthard. It was constructed between 1778 and 1791. The decorations, including bas scenes depicting Greek mythology took another 4 years to complete. The quadriga of victory crowning the gate was built in 1793 by Johann Gottfried Schadow. Originally it was a symbol of peace. During Berlin's occupation by France, in 1806 Napoleon ordered the quadriga to be taken to Paris. After the Battle of Waterloo, the quadriga was triumphantly taken back to Berlin, and it was turned into a symbol of victory.

Situated at the end of Unter den Linden, the 60m tall gate was part of a wall surrounding the city and was the main entrance to the city. It is the only gate that remains of this former city wall.

After the construction of the 1961 Berlin Wall which was built right next to the Brandenburger Tor, the Pariser Platz, on the East-Berlin side, became completely desolate. The gate symbolized Germany's division. With the fall of the wall in 1989, people flocked to the reopened Brandenburger Gate to celebrate

To walk along Unter den Linden with the Brandenburg Tor as a destination may be a charming experience at the end of the afternoon: the special quality of the light gives the area a kind of romantic look. If you are lucky, you could take some beautiful photographs with the sun looming through the Tor.
Pasear por Unter den Linden con destino a la Puerta de Brandenburgo puede ser una experiencia encantadora hacia el final de la tarde: la especial calidad de la luz da a la zona una especie de aspecto romantico. Si tienes suerte, puede sacar unas fotos muy bonitas con el sol asomando a traves de la Puerta.

This monument on Pariser Platz is Berlin’s most famous landmark – and although it is called a gate it has never been a real gate. The monumental construction was designed by the architect Carl Gotthard Langhans (the Older) as the magnificent western terminus of the boulevard “Unter den Linden”, in the style of Athen’s Propylaea.

During the times of the Cold War the Brandenburger Tor was the symbol of separation, as it stood right behind the Wall in Berlin’s East, and from West Berlin you could just see the top. Only GDR soldiers were allowed to go near it. Now it is the symbol of the reunification, well, the symbol of Germany, and people from all over the world can peacefully stroll around it and admire the wonderful sandstone reliefs on the inside panels between the pillars that hold the top with the famous Quadriga, designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow.

Built from 1788 to 1791 in neo-classical style, and the Quadriga added in 1793, the Brandenburger Tor has an incredibly troublesome history. The Quadriga had to be demounted no less than three times. In 1806 Napoleon took it to Paris after he had defeated the Prussians. In 1814 the successful Alliance (famous General Blücher) took it back to Berlin. During World War II it was so badly damaged that it was replaced by a replica in 1956. However, on request of the East the Iron Cross and the Eagle had to be demounted.

From 1961 to 1989 the Brandenburger Tor was isolated between the political systems. On 22 December 1989 it was opened, and 100,000 people partied around it. On on New Year’s Eve the Quadriga was damaged. In 1991 it was restored, and got the Iron Cross and the Eagle back. Damaged by air pollution and neglect, also the Gate needed a make-over some years later. It was reopened on 3 October 2002. The idea to open it for vehicular traffic was dismissed because the exhaust residues would do a lot of damage.

Click here for my tip about the construction details of Brandenburger Tor.

3 more images

On our last visit to Berlin, in 1985, the Brandenburg Gate was completely “off-limits”, stranded as it was in the middle of No Man’s Land between East and West – photo 4 was taken on this visit (and is worth opening to see how young I looked then!). It was one of my main aims on this trip to do what we had been unable to do then, and walk through the Brandenburg Gate. After all, isn’t that what a gate is for?

So through the gate we went. It was wonderful to be able to appreciate the full grandeur of this structure, and to see the unlimited view westwards from its far side, through the greenery of the Tiergarten to the distant golden gleam of the Siegessäule (Victory Column). Unfortunately the similarly impressive view eastwards, along Unter den Linden, was blocked on this occasion by a large vehicle promoting Amnesty International – a worthy cause but a lousy place to park! Still, we did manage to get some great close-up photos, another pleasure denied to us in the past.

The Brandenburg Gate was built in 1791, commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II as a symbol of peace. It is the only remaining gate of several that once ringed the city, and when built formed the grand entry to Unter den Linden, the famous boulevard of linden trees which in those days led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. It consists of twelve Doric columns, six on each side, which form the five passageways – citizens originally were allowed to use only the outermost two. On top of the gate is the Quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, as seen in my photos.

Like much of Berlin the Gate was badly damaged in the Allied bombing raids of World War Two, but was patched up in a joint effort by the governments of the two Berlins. It remained accessible for a time, and the people of Berlin could pass through it when crossing between the two halves of the city as the East Germans had a border guard here, but when the Berlin Wall was built in August 1961 the Gate was stranded in No Man’s Land, just as it was when we first saw it 24 years after that.

The Wall fell on 9 November 1989, and on 22 December 1989, the Brandenburg Gate crossing was reopened when Helmut Kohl, the West German chancellor, walked through to be greeted by Hans Modrow, the East German prime minister. After reunification it was fully restored, and in 2002 opened up in its current majestic state.

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.