Brandenburg Gate
 |
The Brandenburg Gate |
The
Brandenburg Gate (
German:
Brandenburger Tor) is a
triumphal arch and the symbol of
Berlin,
Germany. It is located at on the
Pariser Platz and is the only remaining gate of a series through which one formerly entered Berlin. One block to its north lies the
Reichstag. It constitutes the monumental termination of
Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which led directly to the royal residence. It was commissioned by
Friedrich Wilhelm II as a sign of peace and built by
Carl Gotthard Langhans from
1788 to
1791.
The Brandenburg Gate consists of twelve Greek
Doric columns, six on each side. This allows for five roadways, although originally ordinary citizens were only allowed to use the outer two. Above the gate is the
Quadriga, consisting of the goddess of peace, driving a four-horse
chariot in triumph. The gate stands 26 m (65 ft) high, 65.5 m (213 ft) wide and 11 m (36 ft) thick.
The design of the gate was based on the
Propylea, the gateway to the
Acropolis in
Athens,
Greece. Berlin had a long history of
classicism: first classicist
Baroque and then a
neo-Palladian, but this was the first Greek revival
neo-classical structure in Berlin, which would become the
Spreeathen ("Athens on the River Spree') by the 1830s, shaped by the severe neoclassicism of architect
Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
While the main design of the Brandenburg Gate has remained the same since it was completed, the gate has played varying roles in Germany's history. First,
Napoleon took the Quadriga to
Paris in
1806 after conquering Berlin. When it returned to Berlin in
1814, the statue exchanged her olive wreath for the
Iron Cross and became the
goddess of victory. When the
Nazis rose to power, they used the gate to symbolize their power. The only structure left standing in the ruins of Pariser Platz in 1945, apart from the ruined Academy of Fine Arts, the gate was restored by the
East Berlin and
West Berlin governments. However, in
1961, the gate was closed when the
Berlin Wall was built.
In 1963 U.S. President
John F. Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate. The Soviets hung large banners across it so he could not see the East Berlin side. "The German question will remain open as long as the Brandenburg Gate is closed" was how the Mayor of West Berlin,
Richard von Weizsäcker, described the situation in the early
1980s. On
June 12,
1987 U.S. President
Ronald Reagan delivered a speech ("
Tear down this wall") to the people of West Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate, yet it was also audible on the East Berlin side of the Wall.
Finally, when the Berlin Wall fell in
1989, the gate symbolized freedom and the unity of the city. It re-opened on
22 December 1989 when the West German Chancellor
Helmut Kohl walked through to be greeted by the East German Prime Minister,
Hans Modrow.
On
July 12,
1994 U.S. President
Bill Clinton addressed a speech to the people of Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate talking mainly about peace in post-Cold War Europe.
On
December 21,
2000 works began to once again refurbish the Brandenburg Gate, this time using lasers to clean off soot and grit. More than 1,000 pieces of stone were also replaced. Estimated cost: 3,000,000
USD in private funding.
There is some local controversy in Berlin over the fact that there is a
Starbucks within a few yards of the gate. It is seen as a corporate intrusion upon a national treasure.
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Street map of the Brandenburg Gate's location (GlobalGuide)
Image:Brandenburger tor 1871.jpg|The Brandenburg Gate in 1871Image:Brandenburger Tor Nazis Postcard.jpg|The Brandenburg Gate in the Nazi eraImage:Polacy Berlin1.jpg|Soldier of the Polish Army during the Battle of BerlinImage:Brandenburg Gate 1961-08-13.jpg|The Brandenburg Gate on the day construction of the Berlin Wall began, 1961-08-13Image:Brandenburg gate 1982.jpg|The Brandenburg Gate in 1982. Behind the gate is the Berlin Wall and in the foreground is the rail that was accessible from East Berlin.Image:Reagan vor dem Brandenburger Tor.jpg|Ronald Reagan giving a speech on June 12, 1987Image:brandenburg gate sunset.jpg|The Brandenburg GateImage:brandenburg gate sunset quadriga.jpg|The Quadriga atop the Brandenbrug Gate (August 2003)Image:50ec_ger.png|The Brandenburg Gate appears on the obverse of the 50, 20 and 10 cent German euro coins*
Triumphal arch*
Moscow Triumphal Gate*
Berlin Wall*
Brandenburg Gate described in its historic context.*
Panorama Brandenburg Gate - Panoramic view from the Pariser Platz
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Photos of the Brandenburg Gate in 1989 from East Berlin.*
Photos of the Brandenburg Gate from 1989-1999 from West Berlin.*
Webcam: Live-View of the Street "Unter den Linden" with Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany*
Ronald Reagan's Tear this Wall speech*
Bill Clinton's Berlin is free speech*
Video News report of the Brandenburg Gate re-opening - Real Player needed
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Germany, Berlin, Brandenburger Tor Virtual tour with map and compass effect by Tolomeus
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Panorama Brandenburg Gate 1945 - Panoramic view into the past, 60 years after WWII
