The Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is now the only remaining gate in a series that used to lead into the city. It is the monumental entry to ‘Unter der Linden,’ the famous boulevard of linden trees which used to lead to the city palace belonging to the Prussian monarchs. It is now one of the most recognizable symbols of Berlin and of Germany.

The Brandenburg Gate is located west of the city center near the junction Unter der Lilden and Ebertstraβe. It was constructed between 1788 and 1791 by Carl Gotthard Langhans, and was commissioned as a sign of peace by King Frederick William II of Prussia.  The Gate was designed based on the Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, to be consistent with the architectural classicism in Berlin’s history. Facing East on the top of the Gate rides Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, in her Quadriga, or chariot drawn by four horses. This piece was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow.

Though it has played a number of different political roles in history, the design of the Gate remains largely unchanged. After the Prussians were defeated in Berlin in 1806, Napoleon took the Quadriga to Paris, but it was restored in 1814 after his defeat. When it was returned, Victoria’s wreath of oak leaves gained a new addition – the new symbol of Prussian power, the Iron Cross. When the Nazis seized power, they used the gate as a party symbol. By the end of the war, the Gate was damaged with holes in the columns due to nearby explosions and bullets. The governments of East and West Berlin repaired it as a joint effort afterward, but the damage was visible for many years. 

During the separation of East and West Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was a symbol of the divided city. Visitors could climb onto an observation platform to get a glimpse of life on the other side of the Iron Curtain. On June 12, 1987, Ronald Regan issued his command to his ‘cold war adversary,’ “Mr. Gorbachov – tear down this wall!” President von Weizsacker stated that “The German question is open as long at the Brandenburg Gate is closed.”

From 2000 to 2002, the Gate underwent extensive refurbishment. Most of Pariser Platz, where the gate lies, is now closed to vehicles and is strictly a cobblestone pedestrian zone. Today, festivals and concerts are held at and near the Gate and both the Akademie der Künste (Academy of the Arts) and American Embassy bring important traffic right next door.


There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign. -Robert Louis Stevenson