Brandenburg Gate

Symbol of German reunification

Brandenburg Gate is the first stop for every visitor to Berlin! The city’s iconic landmark offers fascinating insights into the city’s history.

The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most iconic sights in today’s vibrant Berlin. More than just Berlin’s only surviving historical city gatethis site came to symbolise Berlin’s Cold War division into East and West – andsince the fall of the Walla reunified Germany. Architecturallythe sandstone Brandenburg Gate also represents one of the earliest and most attractive examples of a neo-classical building in Germany.

History – the Brandenburg Gate

Constructed between 1788 and 1791the Brandenburg Gate was Berlin’s first Greek revival building. Designed by Carl Gotthard Langhansarchitect to the Prussian courtit was inspired by the monumental gateway at the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. The Brandenburg Gate is 26 metres high65.5 metres long and 11 metres deepand supported by two rows of six Doric columns.

In 1793the gate was crowned by the Quadriga statuedesigned by Johann Gottfried Schadow. This statue also has its own story to tell. In 1806when Napoleon’s army took Berlinthe French Emperor had the Quadriga transported to Paris as war booty and a sign of his victory. In 1814after Napoleon’s forced abdicationthe Quadriga was returned to Berlin where it once again adorned the Brandenburg Gate, facing towards the east and the city centre.

In 1946with the post-war division of Germany and Berlinthe Brandenburg Gate was in the Soviet sector. When the Berlin Wall went up in 1961the Gate stood in an exclusion zone in an arc of the Wallinaccessible for locals and visitors alike. When the Wall fell100,000 people gathered here for the Brandenburg Gate’s official opening on 22 December 1989 – and soon afterwardscrowds thronged the area to celebrate their first joint New Year’s Eve in this once-divided city. Todaymore than almost any other of the city’s landmark sightsthe Brandenburg Gate symbolises a reunited Berlin.

Architecture – Pariser Platz square

The Brandenburg Gate faces Pariser Platzregarded as one of the city’s most attractive squares. By the end of the Second World Warthe buildings around this historical square were in ruins. Reconstruction at this prime location only started in the 1990s after German reunificationand the buildings now include elegant town housesembassies and the impressive five-star Hotel Adlon.

The Max Liebermann Haus and the Haus Sommerset to the left and right of the Brandenburg Gatewere designed as a matching pair in a inspired by the architecture of the Prussian master builder and court architect Friedrich August Stüler. This historic location is also home to two other prominent buildings housing the embassies of France and the United States.

Berlin Tourist Info directly at the Brandenburg Gate

At the Berlin Tourist Info in the south wing of the Brandenburg Gateyou can find a wealth of information on the top sights and activities in the city – and can also book hotels or tickets for events! This is also the perfect starting point to discover the sights around the Brandenburg Gateincluding: