Who does not know it, the famous Brandenburger Tor. The symbol of Berlin, the symbol of a once divided and now reunited (or reuniting) Germany and Europe.
I - as a native german and former Berlin inhabitant - want to give you a short impression about what this gate means to me and some facts about it as well.
The Brandenburger Tor is situated in the city center of Berlin, in the hotspot of the city. Following the avenue "Unter den Linden" (wich means: walking beneath lime-trees) from the old GDR-capital-citycenter (East Berlin) you see the gate with the quadriga on its top. 4 horses carry the godness of peace, Eirene, into the city. It's not a symbol of triumph in the war, but a symbol of end of the war. So, also the orignal name of the gate was "peace gate". In the ground of the gate you find the different gods and also Mars, the god of war, makes its contribution to peace, puting his sword down. Originaly (i. e. 200 years ago) the gate had a white color, now its grey.
Going through the gate you see the great avenue "Straße des 17. Juni", named by the 17th of july in 1953, the day of the first people's uprising in East Germany against the communistic dictature wich was slayed down by sowjet tanks. (for more details look on http://www.volksaufstand1953.de). This evenue leads to the old West Berlin city center around the Ku'damm.
Within the gate you find the "Room of Silence". This great idea was inovated in Berlin and is now set up in many cities in Germany and across Europe (in Sarajevo for example). It's a room where people of all nations, cultures, sexes, beliefings, colours, ... can get together to have some common seconds in silence. It was concipated on the example of the Meditation Room in the United Nations Building in NY. But here, on the old borderline of the 40 years lasting cold war, it has a very special energy. Go there, feel it. It's worth it! Inside you will just find a painting, a wall decoration and the praying of the United Nations:
"Dear God, our earth is just a small planet in a big universe. It's on us to make it to a planet without war, without hunger, without pain, without fear, without useless discrimination by race, colour or beliefing. Please give us the courage and power to start this work today, so that our childs may use the name "human being" with proud."
(http://www.disos.de/raum-der-stille/)
And that's it what in my opinion the Brandenburger Tor stands for. It's situated in very own location in the world and it could be a symbol to the whole world.
It was misused many times in german history by the forces of evil. So in the Third Reich by the nazis or in the times of cold war. But now it's up to us to make it again to a symbol of good.
Please not: The gate is renovated right now and so you will not have a good look on it. Its covered to keep the surounding clear from the dust of working inside the gate. The coverage is printed with a picture of the gate on both sides, so you will get a impression how it looks normaly, but you will not see the real gate.
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