Originally, The Brandenburg Gate was nothing more than a simple toll-gate which marked the western boundary of the city, but the story behind the structure that stands there today is anything but simple. It was constructed in a neo-classical style (the first in Berlin, apparently) between 1788 and 1791 and was modeled on the Propylaea - the entrance to the Acropolis, and stands an impressive 65m high, 213m wide and 36m deep, although I didn't actually measure it myself. Ironically, it was initially designed as an Arch of Peace.
The statue on the roof of the Gate is called The Quadriga and depicts the goddess Viktoria and her four-horse chariot. It hasn't always been there though. In 1806, after defeating the Prussians at Jena, Napoleon 'wheeched' it off to Paris, although the Prussians brought it home a scant ten years later.
The Brandenburg Gate plays a hugely symbolic role in the history of Germany. As I mentioned earlier, it was originally the western gate into the city (and out of, I suppose), and at one time only members of the royal family and their guests were allowed to use the central part of the gate. When the French displayed the Quadriga in the Louvre, it was piloted by the peace goddess Eirene, but on its triumphant return to Berlin, she was transformed into the goddess of victory, Victoria and, as befits such a personage, was adorned with the laurel wreath, the Prussian eagle and the iron cross.
After Hitler seized power, the Nazis wasted no time in utilizing the Gate as a symbol for fascist Germany and the 'new order'. In 1933, a fascist procession in all its pugnacious glory, jackboots a-stomping and torches a-blazing, marched through the Gate and down the Unter den Linden to herald in the 1000 year Reich. Any semblance to an Arch of Peace was well and truly 'up the lum'. Fast forward a mere 12 years, and the gate became the new frontier between East and West, a chink in the Iron Curtain. It was actually incorporated into the Berlin Wall, although the only traces of that concrete monstrosity are some markers in the surrounding cobbles which follow the line of the wall.
These days, it's probably the best-known landmark in Berlin, if not Germany, and has gone some way to regaining its primary role as a symbol of peace with the re-unification of Germany.
So what is there to do there?
Apart from looking at it, walking through it and posing for photos, you mean? Well, nothing really.
Wait, don't go, I'm not finished yet!
The Brandenburg Gate, or to give it its proper name, Das Brandenburger Tor is one of those sights that you have to see when visiting Berlin. Can there be anyone who isn't familiar with it? From war newsreels to Cold War thrillers, and from music concerts to the jubilant scene when the people from the east walked through to seize freedom as the wall collapsed, the Tor has played a pivotal role in the shaping of modern day Europe. It's one of those places from which history literally weeps from the stonework - and that's not surprising as a close look reveals hundreds, if not thousands, of pock-marks; the result of the ferocious street fighting which took place around it at the end of WWII. (These have been repaired now, but the effects are visible enough and it's not hard to imagine the scale of the battle).
Standing under the gate, the prospect is stunning. To the east lies the Pariser Platz which leads into the splendid boulevard of Unter den Linden, one of the classiest streets in the world. I'm sure it's changed a little since the days of communism - but even though capitalism is firmly entrenched there now, it still retains a quiet dignity and is not given over to endless Starbucks and McDs (they are represented here, but not at the usual rate of one every 50m).
To the west lies the Strasse des 17 Juni which runs through the sprawling Tiergarten and is dominated midway by the Siegessäule, a huge triumphal column which originally stood near the Reichstag before Herr Hitler had it moved.
This is Kodak-country. The photo opportunities are endless and every time you turn around another prospect opens up. Although it's extremely busy with tourists, the area around the Gate is spacious enough that it doesn't feel too crowded. And fair play to the Berlin authorities, instead of cashing in on the visiting hordes, there were only a few stall selling souvenirs, and the Pariser Platz is not given over to masses of street vendors. Granted, there were a few street entertainers, and a couple of mime artists (notice I differentiated between the mime artists and the entertainers - is there anything more boring, and slightly creepy?).
When we were there, an added note of surrealism enhanced our visit. Enjoying a glass of Berliner Weisse (hey, I felt obliged) on the terrace at the Hotel Adlon, we became aware of a noisy, boisterous commotion coming from the direction of the Tiergarten. Knocking back the dregs of my beer, we went to investigate. Can you guess what it was? Can you?
Making their way across the road and through the gate was a Brazillian Samba band. An everyday occurence perhaps? No. Brazil were playing Germany in a football match that evening and the Brazillian supporters were doing their utmost to emulate the antics of the Tartan Army... and almost succeeding, it has to be said. They made their way into Pariser Platz where they proceeded to dance and drum and do all the stuff those Sambafans do, putting on a show for the crowds. Before long, people from all over the world were dancing, clapping, shouting, whistling and generally 'giving it laldy'. This was NOT what we were expecting, but it made the visit all the more memorable.
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