Porta di Brandeburgo
Berlin
The Brandenburg Gate was built by Carl Gotthard Langhans between 1788 and 1791. On top stands Johann Gottfried Schadow's chariot, and the gate is the symbol of German unity.
A gate in the tax wall
In the 1700s the city was surrounded by a wall where goods were checked and taxes were paid. Around 1734 a first, very simple gate stood here.
King Frederick William II had it replaced with something grander. Carl Gotthard Langhans built the new gate between 1788 and 1791. He modelled it on the grand entrance of an ancient Greek sanctuary. It is one of the first great works of Classicism in the city.
The chariot on the roof
In 1793 Schadow's chariot was placed on the gate, as a symbol of peace entering the city.
Today the goddess who drives the chariot is called Victoria, the goddess of victory.
Closed and reopened
With the Wall, in August 1961, the gate ended up in the forbidden zone. Neither people from the East nor people from the West could go near it.
After the fall of the Wall the gate was reopened amid a joyful crowd. It has become the symbol of the reunited city.
