The Smart Travel Guide

For Berlin, the Branderburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) represents a landmark that played significant roles during history. The gate is the first gateway to the city and it is known as the symbol for the division of the city in the two power blocs. The Brandenburg Gate (Tor) is the only remaining gate because it stands for the entry to Unter den Linden, which is a boulevard of linden trees, the way that led directly to the residence of the Prussian kings, the access to the most important city of the Prussian kingdom. It is situated in the Western part of the city center, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by Karl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791. As its structure is concerned, the gate has 12 Doric columns, six to each side; above there is the Quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, “who brings peace”. When the Nazis came into power, they used the Gate as a party symbol.

The Gate also symbolises virtues like friendship and statesmanship, along with symbols of arts and sciences. It survived World War II and was one of the few structures standing in the Pariser Platz ruins in 1945. In 1961, when the Berlin wall was erected, the wall and its fortified death strip ran just west of the gate, cutting off access from West Berlin and the “baby Wall” on the Eastern side rendered it off limits to East Berliners as well, until the wall’s demolition in 1989.


At that moment, the Gate symbolized freedom and the desire of Berlin unity. In 2002, on the 3rd of October, took place the twelfth anniversary of German Reunification and the Brandenburg Gate was once again reopened following extensive refurbishment. Today, the Brandenburg Gate is again closed for vehicle traffic, and much of Pariser Platz has been turned into a pedestrian zone. Today, there is a red line in front of the gate, which marks the former Berlin wall.

Tags: Berlin

Comments RSS