The Brandenburg Gate is an architectural monument located in Berlin's central Mitte district on Pariserplatz.
In 1688, the fortress town of Berlin had several gates in the surrounding fortress wall. After the Thirty Years' War, the city began to grow and new city walls were built, first of wood and then of stone, to give a unified style. The Brandenburg Gate was part of the city's customs system of the time - a wall with a gate where merchants paid their duties.
Appearance of the Brandenburg Gate
The author of the Brandenburg Gate arches was the master architect Karl Gotthard von Langgans. They were commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1781-1791 in the ancient Greek style - copied from the Propylaea arch in the Parthenon.
The gate is made of stone with a lining of light-coloured sandstone, which has changed hue under the influence of time. The base of the gate is twelve columns in two rows, forming a wider central opening and two equal openings on either side. The height of the Brandenburg Gate is 26 metres, its length is about 66 metres, and the total thickness of the columns is 11 metres. A sculptural composition - the winged goddess of victory Victoria ruling a carriage with four horses - is installed on the slab. The central passage was intended for the passage of royalty and ambassadors of foreign powers, while the side passages were open for other citizens and guests. On each side of the arch there are outbuildings in which statues of the god of war Mars and the goddess of wisdom Minerva were installed.
It is worth noting that the gate was originally called the Gate of Peace, and the four horses carrying the goddess of peace Irene with an olive branch were the work of Johann Gottfried Schadow. After Berlin was surrendered to Napoleon's troops in 1806, the quadriga was transported to Paris, and after the victory over the French in 1814, it was solemnly returned to its place, but already remodelled by Friedrich Schinkel in the form of the chariot of the goddess Victoria, with the Order of the Iron Cross in her hand.
Twentieth century and modernity
In 1918-20, columns of soldiers passed through the central passage of the gate; in the 1930s, the Brandenburg Gate was the setting for torchlight processions, rallies and parades of the National Socialists. During World War II, most of the buildings on Pariserplatz were completely destroyed. The Brandenburg Gate, as well as many architectural monuments, was badly damaged, and the quadriga was destroyed, because the Nazi regime made every effort to make the composition its symbol. In 1945, a red flag was flying at the top of the gate, which was removed in 1957.
The restoration of the gate was carried out jointly by the governments of West and East Berlin, the quadriga was restored, and passage through the main arch was allowed. When the Berlin Wall was erected overnight in 1961, the Brandenburg Gate was closed to residents of both parts of the city. Access from the GDR side was blocked by special fences.
The Brandenburg Gate remained a closed monument until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Helmut Kohl was the first to enter the main passageway after a break of many years. The quadriga was again badly damaged, this time by the raucous celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the country. From antique prints found, the sculptural group was restored to its original form.
The last restoration of the gate took place in 2000-2002. Due to the exhausts of the traffic flow, the gate required painting. The people of Berlin were asked to choose the colour, through the presentation of four smaller replicas painted in different colours. According to the results of the vote, white won.
At present, motorised traffic is prohibited through part of the square, as well as through the gate arch.
On a side note
- Location: Berlin, Pariser Platz 1.
- Nearest underground stations: the "Brandenburger Tor" station of the U-55 underground or the S-Bahn S-1, S-2, S-25 light metro.
