Attraction: Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is a neoclassical monumental gate in Berlin from the 18th century. It was constructed after the temporary restoration of order during the Batavian Revolution by the orders of the Prussian King Frederick William II.

Brandenburg Gate is one of the most emblematic sights in today’s vibrant Berlin and Germany. More than just the only surviving historical city gate of Berlin, this site symbolized the Cold War division of Berlin into East and West, and a reunified Germany since the fall of the Wall. Architecturally, Brandenburg Gate is one of the earliest and most attractive examples of a neoclassical building in Germany.

Constructed between 1788 and 1791, Berlin’s first Greek revival constrution was inspired by the monumental gateway at the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens. It was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, the architect of the Prussian Court. The Brandenburg Gate is 26 meters high, 65.5 meters long and 11 meters deep, with two rows of six Doric columns supporting it.

In 1946, the Brandenburg Gate was in the Soviet sector, with the post-war division of Germany and Berlin. The Gate stood in an exclusion zone in the Arc of the Wall when the Berlin Wall rose in 1961, inaccessible to locals and visitors alike. When the Wall fell, on 22 December 1989, 100,000 people gathered here for the official opening of the Brandenburg Gate-and soon afterwards, crowds thronged the area in this once-divided city to celebrate their first joint New Year’s Eve. Today, the Brandenburg Gate, more than almost any other landmark attraction in the city, symbolizes a reunited Berlin.

The Gate today serves as a favorite gathering ground for various events – sport events, New Year’s Eve celebration and various cultural and art events throughut the year.

More info about Brandendurg Gate.