Brandenburg Gate Berlin:
History, the Berlin Wall, Power — and Why This Place Feels Very Different to Many Berliners
Alright, friends,
pretty much all of you have seen the Brandenburg Gate countless times already — if only from the back of German coins.
And still, for me personally, this was never the landmark I connected with Berlin first.
For me, that was always the TV Tower.
Simply because I spent far more time around it in everyday life, grew up in the eastern part of the city, and because to this day, a lot more real Berlin life happens there.
Around the TV Tower, you see Berliners.
People on their way to work. People changing trains. Shop owners, teenagers, street musicians, tourists and locals all mixed together.
The atmosphere around the Brandenburg Gate feels different.
Even today, many Berliners mainly come here for special moments.
For fan zones. Demonstrations. Major events. Memorial days.
Or when friends and family from other cities come to visit.
And still, I probably connect more emotions with the Brandenburg Gate and Straße des 17. Juni than with almost any other place in this city.
Stories from the Love Parade, where I actually ended up there myself in 2006 as a 12-year-old kid with friends.
The huge fan zones during the Euros and the World Cup.
And honestly: the wildest one for me was definitely the 2014 World Cup, when Germany became world champions.
Then there was the massive memorial event in 2009 for 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
I never spent New Year’s Eve directly there — but I’ve seen the fireworks from a distance many times.
Then came Rave the Planet in 2022, shortly after Covid.
Plus countless CSD parades.
And over more than ten years working in hospitality, I’ve probably explained the way to the Brandenburg Gate to guests around 10,000 times — including everything else worth seeing around the area.
I even have pretty good connections to the Späti scene around the Brandenburg Gate.
So yeah — I actually do come here from time to time.
But if you ask me honestly:
You rarely find the real everyday Berlin here.
Most people come for events now, not just casually.
And still, that’s exactly what makes this place so interesting.
Brandenburg Gate Berlin: Construction, Origins and the Original Name
Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate was built between 1788 and 1793 under the rule of Friedrich Wilhelm II.
It was designed by architect Carl Gotthard Langhans, inspired by the Propylaea of the Acropolis in Athens.
And this part matters:
The Brandenburg Gate was never built for tourists.
Not for pretty photos.
Not for social media.
Not even primarily as an entrance gate.
Originally, the Brandenburg Gate was a political symbol of power.
Its original name was:
Gate of Peace.
That may sound harmless today, but at the time, it was a very clear political statement. Prussia wanted to present itself as a strong European power.
If you're interested in these kinds of political power displays, you’ll also find them in our blog about the Golden Twenties in Berlin.
Brandenburg Gate History: What Was the Gate Originally Used For?
The Brandenburg Gate was part of Berlin’s former city fortifications.
It had several functions:
- Control of goods
- Collection of customs duties
- Surveillance of people
- Military control
So the gate was never just symbolic — it was an actual checkpoint.
In some ways, similar to the Oberbaumbrücke, which later became one of the most visible dividing points between East and West Berlin.
If you're interested in Berlin’s infrastructure and division, also read our blog about the history of the Berlin U-Bahn.
Brandenburg Gate History: The Most Important Years at a Glance
1788–1793
Construction of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
1793
The Quadriga is added on top of the gate.
1806
Napoleon takes the Quadriga to Paris.
1814
The Quadriga returns to Berlin.
1933
The Nazis begin using the Brandenburg Gate as a propaganda backdrop.
1961
The Brandenburg Gate becomes part of the restricted border zone during the Berlin Wall era.
1987
Ronald Reagan calls for the fall of the Berlin Wall.
1989
More than 100,000 people celebrate the reopening of the gate.
2002
Major restoration work takes place.
2023
Damage caused by an accident and protest actions.
What Is the Quadriga on the Brandenburg Gate?
The Quadriga is the famous sculpture on top of the Brandenburg Gate and one of Berlin’s most recognizable symbols.
The name comes from Latin and means:
Four-horse chariot.
It refers to a chariot pulled by four horses.
The Quadriga was designed in 1793 by Berlin sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow.
It shows Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, standing on a chariot pulled by four horses and facing toward Berlin’s city center.
Its original message was clear:
Peace enters the city.
But over time, the figure became far more than just a symbol of peace.
Across the centuries, the Quadriga turned into a political symbol of power, defeat, triumph and resurgence.
Fun fact: Only a single horse’s head from the original Quadriga still exists today and is preserved in a museum.
The current Quadriga is a reconstruction.
If you're interested in symbolic landmarks from East Germany and the DDR era, also read our blog about Berlin’s World Clock.
Why Was the Brandenburg Gate’s Quadriga in Paris?
In 1806, Napoleon marched through Berlin after defeating Prussia.
Shortly afterwards, he ordered the Quadriga to be removed and taken to Paris as war booty.
For Berlin, this was more than just stolen art.
It was a public humiliation.
The city’s most famous symbol suddenly stood there without its crown.
Only in 1814, after Napoleon’s defeat, did the Quadriga finally return to Berlin — welcomed back with huge celebrations.
After that, many Berliners even gave it a nickname:
“The Return Coach.”
With its return, the Quadriga took on a completely new meaning.
Not just peace.
But also resistance and return.
What Is the Attic Relief at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin?
Directly beneath the Quadriga sits the so-called attic relief.
Most people walk underneath it — without ever really noticing it.
But the relief tells an important part of the political message behind the entire monument.
It shows mythological scenes involving Hercules, symbols of peace, state power and the order of the Prussian state.
Hercules represents strength and protection.
Other figures symbolize peace, prosperity and political stability.
Its placement directly beneath the Quadriga was intentional.
The message was clear:
Strong rule protects peace and order.
So from the very beginning, the Brandenburg Gate was never just architecture — it was political communication carved into stone.
Why Are Mars and Minerva on the Brandenburg Gate?
On the outer sides of the Brandenburg Gate, you’ll find two mythological figures.
South side: Mars
The Roman god of war.
North side: Minerva
The Roman goddess of wisdom, strategy and protector of cities.
This combination was no coincidence.
Prussia wanted visitors to understand something the moment they entered the city:
A strong state needs more than military power — it also needs intelligent leadership.
Even their positioning was intentional.
As people approached Berlin, they were symbolically confronted first with power, protection and state control.
The Brandenburg Gate During Nazi Germany
In 1933, the Brandenburg Gate once again became a political stage.
After the Nazis took power, thousands of SA members marched through the gate carrying torches.
At the time, those images spread across all of Germany.
The Nazi regime understood very well how powerful historical monuments could be as symbols.
The Brandenburg Gate was deliberately used as a propaganda backdrop to stage power, dominance and control.
Later, the regime even planned to integrate the gate into the planned world capital Germania.
A monument that had originally symbolized peace in Prussia was once again turned into a political tool.
Brandenburg Gate During the GDR: Where Was the Gate During the Berlin Wall?
To this day, many people believe the Berlin Wall ran directly through the Brandenburg Gate.
That’s not true.
The wall itself stood directly west of the gate.
From 1961 onward, the Brandenburg Gate was located right inside the restricted border zone of East Germany.
It was no longer freely accessible for either East or West Berliners.
Germany’s most famous gate suddenly stood isolated between border barriers, watchtowers and armed soldiers.
The gate had already played an important symbolic role during the East German uprising of 1953.
Later, it became one of the world’s most recognizable images of Germany’s division.
If you're interested in Berlin’s visible border history in everyday life, also read our blog about the Oberbaumbrücke.
Brandenburg Gate and German Reunification: 1989
On December 22, 1989, the Brandenburg Gate officially reopened.
More than 100,000 people celebrated together on Pariser Platz.
Just a few weeks earlier, millions of people around the world had watched the images of the Berlin Wall falling.
Suddenly, a symbol of division became a symbol of unity again.
Shortly afterwards, the first shared New Year’s Eve celebration between East and West Berliners even took place here.
The Quadriga was also damaged during the celebrations surrounding 1989 and 1990 and later had to be restored.
Since then, the Brandenburg Gate has become one of the strongest symbols of German reunification.
Brandenburg Gate Height and Width: How Big Is the Monument?
The Brandenburg Gate is one of the largest neoclassical monuments in Germany.
Its dimensions:
- around 20 meters high
- around 62 meters wide
- around 11 meters deep
The six Doric columns on each side alone still shape Berlin’s cityscape today.
Because of its massive width, the gate often feels even more impressive in real life than it does in photos.
And that’s exactly why it remains one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks to this day.
Which Goddess Stands on the Brandenburg Gate?
Standing on top of the Brandenburg Gate is:
Victoria — the Roman goddess of victory.
She holds the reins of the four-horse chariot and still looks toward Berlin’s city center today.
Victoria is part of the Quadriga and has symbolized peace, triumph and the political strength of Prussia since 1793.
But over the centuries, she came to represent far more than that:
Defeat, return, division and eventually reunification.
Hardly any figure above Berlin’s rooftops has witnessed as much history as she has.
Traffic, Pedestrian Zones and Modern Berlin
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, a debate began around the Brandenburg Gate that would shape Berlin for years:
Should Germany’s most famous gate become part of normal city traffic again — or remain permanently car-free?
Especially after reunification, many politicians and urban planners wanted to reconnect Berlin’s historic center more closely.
Others warned against exposing one of Germany’s most important historical monuments once again to traffic, noise and additional stress.
Pariser Platz was also completely redesigned.
Embassies, security concepts, tourism, monument protection, major events and Berlin’s new role as the German capital suddenly all had to function together.
The final decision was only made in 2002:
The Brandenburg Gate would remain a permanent pedestrian zone.
Today, thousands of people walk from here toward the Tiergarten, Berlin Central Station or deeper into the government district every single day.
And this is exactly where you notice something that describes Berlin pretty well:
Historical symbolism collides with modern big-city chaos.
Tempelhof Airport is another perfect example of how Berlin constantly reinvents its historical places.
Damage to the Brandenburg Gate in 2023
In 2023, the Brandenburg Gate once again made headlines.
First, a serious car accident damaged parts of the sensitive sandstone structure.
For many Berliners, it was another reminder of how vulnerable this nearly 250-year-old monument still is today, despite all the restorations.
Only a short time later, the Brandenburg Gate once again became a political symbol.
During a protest action, the landmark was sprayed with large amounts of paint.
The cleaning process took days, and the damage and restoration costs later reached six figures.
And that still shows something very clearly today:
The Brandenburg Gate is not just a tourist attraction.
It remains a projection surface for politics, protest, public attention and social debate.
Hardly any building in Berlin continues to carry this much symbolic weight.
My Honest Conclusion About the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
The Brandenburg Gate is not Berlin’s most everyday landmark.
Not the rawest one.
Not the most typically Berlin.
But probably the most emotional.
Hardly any other place combines:
- Prussia
- Napoleon
- Nazi Germany
- The Berlin Wall
- Reunification
- The Love Parade
- Fan zones
- CSD parades
- Demonstrations
And that’s exactly why it belongs to Berlin.
Berlin is not a tourist attraction. Berlin is a city.
See you in the real Berlin — or here in the next blog.
Take care 🖤
Sources: Book "Das Brandenburger Tor" by Zitha Pöthe-Elevi | Book "Das Brandenburger Tor" by Monika Bauert | Book "Das Brandenburger Tor" by Rainer Laabs | MANY OF THE IMAGES IN THIS ARTICLE ARE SAMPLE IMAGES AND WERE NOT TAKEN AT THE VISITED LOCATIONS.
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