The symbol of Berlin is the Brandenburg Gate. Brandenburg Gate: the difficult fate of the great monument

The Brandenburg Gate is the main attraction and historical symbol of Germany, which deserves everyone's attention. Most recently, this monument marked a significant date - 220 years since the official opening. Many times, at the foot of the gate, the most important historical events unfolded and blood was shed. For several decades, they reminded of the split of the country into two parts, and today they have become a symbol of the unity of the nation.

Landmark building

In 1789, under the leadership of the architect Karl Gottgard Lanngans, the Gates of Peace were laid. Modern critics believe that it was this master who founded Berlin classicism. The architect took the works of ancient builders as the basis of his creation. Many see in the majestic columns of the gate the Doric features of the columns of the Athenian Acropolis.

To give the gates a special elegance, before the opening they were ordered to be completely covered with snow-white paint. This idea was suggested to Lanngans by his friend and sculptor Johann Schadow. He also worked on the creation of a cart with four horses with Victoria (the goddess of victory among the Romans). The statue crowns the arch and reaches a height of 6 meters. The face of the goddess faces the east side of Berlin. The fate of the sculpture is almost more tragic than the arch itself.

Description of the Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate represents a triumphal arch, an almost complete copy of the Propylaea on the Parthenon. The total height of the structure is 26 m. It is mounted on six pillars 11 m wide. Each of the pillars consists of paired Doric columns. The total length of the gate is 65 m. The monument was built of stone blocks, which were later lined with sandstone.

A six-meter sculpture is installed on the carved ceiling. It depicts a wagon drawn by four horses under the control of the goddess Victoria. In the year of the presentation, Victoria clutched an olive branch in her hand, symbolizing peace. After the return of the quadriga from France, the branch was replaced by a cross.

Between the pillars of the Brandenburg Gate there are 5 passages. The middle corridor is the widest. It was intended for solemn corteges of rulers and crowned guests. Side aisles were intended for the passage and passage of ordinary citizens. In each opening on the sides there were niches with statues of the gods. The ceilings are decorated with engravings and reliefs with allegorical meaning.

To the north of the monument you can see a modest building in which there was a guard. Today, it houses a "hall of silence", where every visitor can reflect on the difficult fate of those who fell at the Brandenburg Gate.

The difficult fate of the monument

Since its opening, the Brandenburg Gate has become the most majestic monument in Germany. The Germans were very proud of him, and tourists admired his beauty. When Napoleon Bonaparte was with troops in the capital of Germany during the First World War, he ordered the quadriga to be immediately removed and sent to Paris. The Statue of Victory, in his opinion, could not remain in Germany. Thus began the difficult fate of a beautiful landmark.

When Napoleon's army was defeated, and he himself was sent to while away the last days of his life on a tiny island, the quadriga took its rightful place. Since the sculpture received some damage, it was restored and slightly modified. Now in the hands of the Winner there is a cross - an honorary insignia of the bravest of the German soldiers.

At the beginning of 1871, a column of victorious Franco-Prussian battles marched through the Brandenburg Gate. This column became a symbol of the formation of the German Empire. A few decades later, soldiers passed through here, who helped destroy the empire and proclaimed the German Republic.

Since 1933, the era of fascism begins. The gate columns are tightly hung with German flags with a swastika. Now the National Socialists were marching under them. After Adolf Hitler came to power and the outbreak of World War II, many historical and cultural monuments in Germany were damaged or completely wiped off the face of the earth.

In 1945, the area near the Brandenburg Gate became the scene of the final battles between the Nazi and Soviet troops. Exhausted by a long war and torn by hatred, the soldiers sought to destroy the architecture of the city from which the hated tyrant issued orders.

The state of the Brandenburg columns by the middle of 1945 was very deplorable. Supports and arches were completely covered with holes from bullets and larger shells. All free space was covered with hundreds of mutilated bodies. One of the last shells fired in Berlin was aimed at the winner's quadriga and hit right on target. There is no trace left of the famous sculpture. Instead, the scarlet banner of the Soviets fluttered over the gates for 12 years.

In 1957, the flag of the GDR was hoisted in place of the Soviet banner, and a year later, the government of the GDR, with the consent of the USSR, began to restore the quadriga. For a long time, the attraction became impregnable for the inhabitants of Germany on both sides of the wall. It was impossible to get to it from the western side of the country because of the Berlin Wall, and an equally high fence grew from the East so that the Germans could not approach the gate. Only in 1989, when the Berlin Wall was completely destroyed, the Germans were able to pass under the majestic arches of the gate.

From the day of the unification of the country, the Brandenburg Gate has become the main symbol of unity, rallying the divided families of one nation. The very fact of unhindered passage under the gate caused a feeling of euphoria in people. However, too magnificent festivities in 1989 were somewhat overshadowed: the famous quadriga was damaged during the celebrations and was again removed for repair. After about a year and a half, the statue of Victoria was erected in its usual place so that the attraction appeared before the audience in all its splendor.

Brandenburg Gate today

The Brandenburg Gate is the most beloved and interesting attraction that managed to survive difficult events and survive. You can admire their grandeur at the border of two central districts of the capital (Mitte and Tiergarten). The building separates the city park and Unter den Linden street.

Be sure to come to the Brandenburg Gate after sunset. Modern and very thoughtful illumination makes them shine with new colors. It seems that the columns and quadriga rush to the sky and move slowly at dusk.

Paris Square is very popular with street performers, travelers and youth companies, so it is impossible to be alone near the gate. The most deserted are the hours of the early morning.

The area at the Brandenburg Gate serves as an arena for performances, concerts and celebrations in honor of fallen soldiers. Any resident of Berlin will remember with admiration how the concert of the Scorpions and the Rostropovich Orchestra took place on the anniversary of the fall of the unification of Berlin.

How to get there

The Brandenburg Gate is located a little to the west of the city center, on Paris Square. To get to them, you should use the metro (line U55), as well as commuter trains. You need to get off at the Brandenburger Tor stop.

Category: Berlin

The Brandenburg Gate is the most famous architectural and historical monument of Berlin and all of Germany. Immediately after the Second World War, they became a symbol of the division of the country and its people, and after 1989 - a symbol of the reunification of Germany into a single state.

The Brandenburg Gate is located on Paris Square (Pariserplatz). Their project was developed by the famous German architect of the 18th century, Karl Gottgard Lanngans, who is considered the founder of such a trend in architecture as Berlin classicism. The construction of the gate, which was originally called the Gate of Peace, started back in 1789 and lasted just over two years. Despite being recognizable, the main German attraction cannot be called completely unique. Thus, the majestic columns are made in the Doric style and are virtually identical to the main aisles (propylaea) of the legendary ancient Greek Acropolis in Athens.

Before the opening, the Gate of Peace was painted white - bright, dazzling. Historians then long wondered what prompted Lanngans to find just such a color solution. The dominant version was that the architect listened to the advice of Johann Godfried Schadow, a German sculptor and artist who decorated his brainchild. Why did the person of Shadov surface at all? It turns out that documents have been preserved that dispel any doubts about the authorship of the project of the goddess of victory, Victoria, “sitting” on the Brandenburg Gate on a quadriga chariot drawn by four horses. The six-meter sculptural ensemble, deployed to the eastern part of the German capital, is also the work of Shadov, also known as an outstanding art theorist.

The sculptural Victoria crowning the gate was admired not only by the citizens and guests of Berlin. Genuine delight composition caused Napoleon Bonaparte. When the army of the French emperor entered Berlin, the conqueror ordered ... to remove the goddess from her "familiar" place and transport it to France. The logic that Napoleon was guided by was simple: such a magnificent symbol of victory could not be in a defeated city. But history, as we know, decided in its own way. The seemingly invincible army of Bonaparte was eventually defeated, and the emperor himself was exiled to the remote island of St. Helena, where he spent the last days of his life. After the invader was expelled, Victoria and her quadriga were returned to the German capital and erected back on the Brandenburg Gate. However, after the war, the sculptural ensemble underwent some changes. The sculptor Friedrich Schinkel added an Iron Cross to it, symbolizing the order, which the state awarded only to the most courageous and devoted to the Motherland warriors.

In 1871, a grandiose march of victorious soldiers in the Franco-Prussian war took place in Berlin. It was this parade, which passed through the Brandenburg Gate, that marked the proclamation of the German Empire, which lasted, by the way, until 1918. At the beginning of the 20th century, a new turn in the history of the German state - its transformation into a republic - was also marked by the triumphal passage of soldiers through this majestic symbol of Germany. Fifteen years later, a new event, no less symbolic than the two described above: the National Socialists who came to power in 1933 covered the Brandenburg Gate with huge banners with Nazi symbols. The majestic architectural monument has become a silent witness to the ominous, even somewhat mystical, procession of the Nazis. Berliners did not yet know what a tragedy not only for the people and the country, but also for the main attractions - the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate - Hitler's dreams of world domination would turn into.

In 1945, the Brandenburg Gate suffered enormous damage. Its Doric-style columns were riddled with bullets and shell fragments. Under the age-old symbol of Germany lay the corpses of the soldiers of the Third Reich, which seemed invincible. From the former greatness of the gate, it seems, nothing is left. One of the Soviet shells hit the sculpture of the goddess Victoria directly, destroying it along with the quadriga and the Iron Cross. For twelve whole years (1945-1957), the red flag of the Soviet Union proudly fluttered in place of the symbol of victory. It was then replaced with the flag of the German Democratic Republic.

In 1958, the government of the GDR, having asked permission from the "big brother" - the USSR, decided to restore the Victoria quadriga. Three years later, the Brandenburg Gate, which has always symbolized the unity of Germany, for the first time in history began to symbolize the split of the country. The GDR, in its desire to isolate itself from the FRG, went so far as to build the infamous Berlin Wall that separated the Brandenburg Gate from West Berlin. But, even formally remaining in the "eastern zone", they turned out to be inaccessible to the inhabitants of the GDR, from which they built an additional wall that completely isolated them.

Currently, the Brandenburg Gate has completely returned to its former grandeur and glory. Like two hundred years ago, they again symbolize the unity of Germany and fit perfectly into the integral architectural ensemble of Pariserplatz.

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The Brandenburg Gate is a monumental gate built in the eighteenth century as a symbol of peace. During the Cold War, when the gate was located in close proximity to the border between East and West Berlin, it became a symbol of the divided city.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate has received a different status - then they became a symbol of a united Berlin. Completely deserted during the Cold War, the Place de Paris, where the gate is located, has now been reconstructed and almost regained its grandeur that distinguished it in the nineteenth century.

Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is located at the end of Unter den Linden, a grandiose boulevard in Berlin. Initially, the gate was part of the wall surrounding Berlin and served as the main entrance to the city. This is the only gate left from the former city wall.

The monumental gate was designed by Karl Gotthard commissioned by Emperor Wilhelm II. The design of the gate, 65.5 meters wide and 28 meters high, was based on the Propylaea, the gate in the Acropolis in Athens. The Brandenburg Gate was built between 1778 and 1791 and replaced the old city gate. It took another four years to complete the work, including the bas-reliefs depicting Greek mythology.

Quadriga

The quadriga of victory, crowning the gate, was built in 1793 by Johann Gottfried Schadov. The bronze quadriga is ruled by the goddess of peace - originally the gate was a symbol of peace.

In 1806, during the occupation of Berlin by France, Napoleon ordered the quadriga to be transferred to Paris. After the Battle of Waterloo, the quadriga was solemnly taken back to Berlin and recognized as a symbol of victory. At the same time, the square near the gate was renamed Paris, and the statue on the quadriga became known as Victoria - in honor of the Roman goddess of Victory.

After World War II

The gate, which by that time had already become a symbol of Prussian militarism, was badly damaged during the Second World War. After the war and the division of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was right on the border between East and West Berlin, but in the Russian sector.

In 1958, the gate was restored by East Berlin, while West Berlin financed the reconstruction of the quadriga.

Berlin Wall

After the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, which was erected in the immediate vicinity of the Brandenburg Gate, the Parisian Platz on the East Berlin side was completely empty. The gate symbolized the division of Germany. With the fall of the wall in 1989, people began to come to the reopened Brandenburg Gate to celebrate.

The monument was reconstructed again in 2001 and reopened on October 3, 2002.

Information for visitors

After the peaceful reunification of Germany, the Brandenburg Gate was renovated and today it is one of the most visited attractions in Germany and Europe.

How to get there: to the metro station Unter den Linden (S1, S2), or by bus number 100.

Cost: free.

Berlin airports

There are 3 airports in the German capital: Tegel, Schönefeld and Brandenburg. At the moment, the first two are in operation, and the third is under construction.

City parks in Berlin

Berlin is a city where the urban landscape is interspersed with islands of parks and gardens. The capital of Germany can be called green. There are many places where a city dweller can take a break from the hustle and bustle, go jogging or have a light picnic on the grass. In the center of the city there is a large and oldest Tiergarten park. Other popular Berlin plant oases are the Lustgarten, Treptow Park and the Berlin Botanical Garden.

Where to eat in Berlin

Everyone who comes to Berlin for the first time imagines how it would be to dine on pork knuckle every day in traditional German restaurants with long tables and wooden benches. The reality is slightly different from these expectations. Berlin is a modern multinational metropolis and cuisines from all over the world are represented here, and German cuisine is by no means a leader.

The address: Germany, Berlin, Mitte district
Start of construction: 1788
Completion of construction: 1791
Architect: Carl Gottgard Langgans
Coordinates: 52°30"58.5"N 13°22"39.8"E

Content:

Short description

Not so long ago, one of the main symbols of Berlin and all of Germany, the Brandenburg Gate, celebrated a significant date - 225 years (2016) from the day of their grand opening. It is worth noting that this architectural masterpiece is not just a decoration of Berlin, but also serves as a symbol of the country's unification.

View of the gate from Paris Square

The Brandenburg Gate is the only one that managed to survive in difficult times for Berlin. To look at them, you should go to the border of the Tiergarten and Mitte districts, to Unter den Linden street. Near the gate is almost always crowded: they are of interest to tourists not only in the daytime, but also when dusk falls on the capital of Germany. Unique in its kind, ultra-modern lighting makes the columns and the quadriga towering above them a truly fantastic sight.

Near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, various events are often held that are dedicated to the memory of soldiers who died in wars. In addition, concerts of popular groups and soloists are organized on the territory adjacent to the gate. One of these concerts, which went down in the history of Berlin and the Brandenburg Gate, can be safely considered the performance of the Scorpions group, which was accompanied by a large symphony orchestra conducted by the world-famous conductor and brilliant cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. The concert at the Brandenburg Gate, which brought together a huge number of spectators who came to see and hear beautiful music, took place in November 1999. However, until this date, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin had a difficult and, one might even say difficult, history.

Gate at night

Brandenburg Gate: construction

The first thing I would like to note, speaking of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, is that initially they had a different name - the Gate of Peace. Their construction took just over two years (1789 to 1791). The author of the project was the architect Karl Gottgard Lanngans, who is currently considered by experts to be the founder of a new direction in architecture called "Berlin classicism". It cannot be said that the Brandenburg Gate is completely unique and unrepeatable, for example, the majestic columns, made in the Doric style, are almost identical to the propylaea of ​​the legendary Acropolis, the ruins of which are located in the capital of Greece, Athens.

According to Lanngans' plan, before the grand opening, the gates were painted dazzling white. Numerous historians put forward the opinion that the architect Johann Gottfried Schadow, who was decorating one of the main attractions of Berlin, advised the architect Johann Gottfried Schadow to paint the gate white. According to the surviving documents, one can make an unambiguous conclusion: the project of the goddess Victoria, who, as you know, symbolizes victory, on a chariot drawn by four horses, also belongs to Shadov. A quadriga six meters high is deployed to the east side of Berlin.

View of the gate from the east

Brandenburg Gate: a difficult story

The aforementioned quadriga, crowning the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, caused delight not only among the inhabitants of the city, but also among the talented strategist and conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte. After French troops entered Berlin, Napoleon ordered that the sculpture of Victoria be removed and sent to France. The symbol of victory, especially such a beautiful one, could not, according to the emperor, be located in the conquered city. As everyone knows from history, Napoleon's army was defeated, and its leader was exiled to a remote island, where he spent his last days. After the victory over the invader, the quadriga with the goddess of victory Victoria was returned to Berlin and took its rightful place. True, after a long war, the goddess was slightly modified by the sculptor Friedrich Schinkel: she received the Iron Cross - the symbol of the order, which was awarded only to the most courageous and devoted soldiers of Germany.

Already in 1871, a march of soldiers passed through the Brandenburg Gate, who won the Franco-Prussian war and marked the proclamation of the German Empire, which, by the way, fell already in 1918. At the beginning of the twentieth century, soldiers marched through the Brandenburg Gate in triumph, thanks to which the empire turned into the German Republic.

Only fifteen years have passed, and in 1933, the Brandenburg Gate was covered with huge banners with a swastika and witnessed the mystical procession of the National Socialists. In those days, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, because of which numerous sights of Berlin, historical and architectural monuments, as a result of hostilities, will suffer, and some will be irretrievably lost. In 1945, the Brandenburg Gate, located in the center of Berlin and the surrounding area, became the scene of fierce fighting. Exhausted by constant bombing and artillery shelling, the inhabitants of Berlin and the remnants of the armies of the Third Reich, staffed for the most part by young men and women, fought with Soviet soldiers for their main symbols: the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate. It was no longer possible to hold back the onslaught of the Soviet army: Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his bunker, and all the hatred of the Russians poured out on the sights of the city, from which the tyrant led the fascist army.

The Brandenburg Gate suffered serious damage in 1945.: Doric columns were riddled with bullets and shrapnel. Under the symbol of Germany lay mountains of corpses, the greatness of the Brandenburg Gate seemed to have sunk into oblivion.

There was nothing left of the beautiful quadriga with the Iron Cross. One of the shells was accurately aimed at the symbol of victory. The place of the sculpture from 1945 to 1957 was taken by the huge red flag of the Soviet Union, which won a difficult victory in the fight against fascism. In 1957, the flag of the German Democratic Republic was hoisted on the Brandenburg Gate, which was in the zone of Soviet occupation. The government of the GDR in 1958, with the consent of the USSR, decided to restore the statue of Victoria. Since 1961, it has been impossible to get to the Brandenburg Gate, which from the symbol of a united Germany became a symbol of its division. The thing is that the famous Berlin Wall separated one of the main attractions of Germany from the "western zone". However, citizens of the GDR were also denied access to the gate: an additional wall was built on the eastern side, which completely isolated the Brandenburg Gate.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate became the main symbol of the "new" united Germany. The joy of the Germans at that time is difficult to describe in words, many families were reunited, people could freely cross the territory of their country.

Chariot (Quadriga) driven by the goddess of victory Victoria

The new year 1989 caused another damage to the quadriga. This time, the culprits were not the conquerors, but the inhabitants of Berlin itself, who, during the festivities, caused damage to the symbol of victory. In less than two years, the statue of Victoria has once again returned to its place. This is how it can be seen by modern tourists who come to Berlin to enjoy its many attractions.

Guests of the city should remember that there are certain restrictions at the Brandenburg Gate, which must be adhered to, otherwise, a conflict with numerous law enforcement officers guarding the symbol of a united Germany cannot be avoided. Many hotels in the German capital offer tours of Berlin. The ideal solution is to join one of them. During the tour, you can take not only memorable photos against the backdrop of the Brandenburg Gate, but also hear from a professional guide a detailed history of the only gate in the capital of Germany.

They are the first to come to mind when you think of Germany. Symbolizing important events, the Brandenburg Gate has been marked in the annals of the history of this country more than once. Modern travelers, having visited the Parisian Platz in Berlin, can take a close look at this magnificent work of art.

A look into history

When the Thirty Years' War ended, and Berlin became the capital of Prussia, the boundaries of the city were expanded, surrounding it with a wall, called the Berlin Customs Wall. The structure of this fortification, intended not for the defense of the city, but for the collection of taxes on imported goods, along with the other 17 gates, included the current Brandenburg gates. The gate was commissioned by the Prussian monarch Friedrich Wilhelm II on the way to the royal palace - on Unter den Linden street - and was originally called the "Gate of Peace".

Part of the arch left for France in 1806, when the Prussian army was defeated in the battle of Jena and Berlin surrendered. Napoleon was the first to use this gate for a triumphal procession. The emperor's trophy returned to its place after the fall of his empire - now the gate has become a symbol of victory over Bonaparte.

The Brandenburg Gate continued to play iconic roles in the 20th century: in 1918 and 1920, counter-revolutionaries marched through it, announcing the emergence of the German Republic, and in 1933, SS men with torches here welcomed Adolf Hitler's rise to power.
After World War II, the gates were 28 years old as a symbol of the division of Germany. Near them, Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama delivered fiery speeches. The building has been a symbol of the unity of the nation since 1989, which was grandiosely emphasized by conductor Leonard Bernstein with concerts.

In antique form through the whirlwind of centuries

The Brandenburg Gate is all that remains of the old city walls of Berlin in the 18th century. Within the capital of Prussia, they were located on the outskirts of the city, and today they have taken pride of place in the center of the metropolis. Friedrich Wilhelm II gave the order to build a gate that would serve as an emblem of peace. The process of building the "Gate of Peace" lasted from 1789 to 1791.

The Prussian architect Karl Gottgard Langgans, who has already proven himself in the eyes of the head of state, has taken up the future masterpiece monument. Thinking about how to embody the king's plan in the project, he decided to use the Athenian Propylaea, the gates of the legendary Acropolis, as a visual aid. Inspired by Greek architecture, Langgans brought elements of Greek architecture into his creation, initiating the "Berlin Classicism" style. Just as the Propylaea led to the sanctuary of Greece, the Parthenon temple complex, so did the Brandenburg Gate provide access to the most important city of the Prussian kingdom. Repeating the work of the Greek Mnesicles with his design, Langgans made a significant contribution to the acquisition of a new name by Berlin - "Athens on the Spree".

The Brandenburg Gate, following the Propylaea, had two rows of columns (the Prussian architect chose the “male”, Doric order for them), which were covered with a ceiling. The thickness of the column rows was 11 meters. The columns, in turn, formed five passages, with the central opening being wider than all the others. If in the Propylaea this wide passage was intended for those who entered the Acropolis on horseback or led animals for sacrifice, mere mortals could not use the central passage of the Brandenburg Gate - only foreign ambassadors and persons of royal blood. The rest of the citizens of Berlin entered the side openings. In total, the gate is 26 meters high and 65.5 meters long.

The famous sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadov, who worked in the style of classicism, also participated in the work on the order of the Prussian monarch. It was he who was engaged in the 6-meter quadriga that adorns the attic over the cornice of the Brandenburg Gate, as well as sculptures and reliefs.

The chariot drawn to the east, drawn by four horses, originally belonged to the goddess of the world, Eirene, holding an olive branch in her hands. However, after the return of the quadriga in 1814 from France, where the admiring Bonaparte took it as prey, Eirene gave way to Victoria, the goddess of victory. The Olive Branch was replaced by the Iron Cross by Friedrich Schinkel in triumph over Napoleon.

Schadov developed the sculptural appearance of the Brandenburg Gate until 1793. So, thanks to him, on both sides of the gate, in the outbuildings (probably, at first they were intended for guards or other premises), antique statues appeared: one is dedicated to the goddess Minerva sitting on the throne, and the other to militant Mars, who draws a sword from its scabbard.

The reliefs of the monumental gates are decorated with many allegorical figures, including images of servants of the goddess Victoria. Metopes, rectangular slabs above Doric columns, are studded with illustrations of the mythical war of the centaurs with the Lapith tribe. And in the openings of the Brandenburg Gate, you can see reliefs with the exploits of Hercules: they, according to the authors, were supposed to hint at the time of wars and the period of restoration, during which Frederick William II turned Prussia into a European power and laid the foundation for its prosperity. Thus, the Brandenburg Gate served not only as a triumphal symbol of peace, but also as a kind of memorial to its king.

Constantly being in the thick of things, the gates suffered more than once. Fortunately, the casts of Shadov's sculptures have been preserved, which facilitated their restoration.

The color of the gate was originally dazzling white. But during its long life, the Brandenburg Gate managed to change it several times. After the start of restoration work in 2000, Berliners, in view of the dirty appearance of the triumphal arch, were offered to choose a new color scheme. Voting with coins dropped into a mini-copy of the gate, the townspeople chose - gray, white, ocher or sandstone. And white won again.

Whirlwind of centuries Brandenburg Gate steadfastly withstood. The last of the 18 gates of the ancient city wall serve today as a symbol of unity and a reminder of the turbulent history of Europe and Germany.