Brandenburg Gate, Berlin – Historical Places in Germany

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin: Sites of historical interest

Geographic Location: Eastern Germany

Brandenburg Gate is Berlin‘s most famous landmark and the only surviving city gate in the German capital. Standing in no-man‘s-land behind the Wall, it was a symbol of east-west division during the period when Germany was separated.

After the Wall fell, the gate was reopened on 22 December 1989.

Built according to plans by Carl Gotthart Langhans between 1788 and 1791, the sandstone construction is modelled on the Acropolis in Athens. On each side of the gate there are six Doric columns supporting the 11-metre-deep crossbeam and forming five passageways.
The quadriga sculpted by Schadow, a chariot drawn by four horses and driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, was placed on top of the gate in 1794. It points east towards the city centre.

Brandenburg Gate was once surrounded by a number of other buildings that were destroyed during the war.

After a resolution passed by the Berlin Senate in 2002, Brandenburg Gate remains closed to all traffic including buses and taxis.

Pariser Platz square, which forms the entrance between Brandenburg Gate and the magnificent Unter den Linden boulevard, can therefore be enjoyed in all its glory by visitors.