Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most recognizable symbols of Germany, and indeed all of Europe. It was constructed over a three year period and completed in 1791, by the Prussian ruler Friedrich Wilhelm II. Designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, it was actually based on the classical entry gateway to the Acropolis in Athens. Brandenburg was the most magnificent of the eighteen entry gates to the city, and the only one that has survived.

Culturally, the gate is a monument to the division and ultimate reunification of Germany, and was the focus of world attention during the years of the Berlin Wall. During those years the gate was inaccessible, so when the divisive wall came down, Brandenburg became the symbolic and actual gateway between East and West Berlin, reasserting its message as a triumphal archway.

High atop the gate's majestic Doric columns sits the Quadriga, a statue of a chariot drawn by four horses. Originally conceived as being driven by the Goddess of Peace, the statue was re-thought as the Goddess of Victory after it had been taken as spoils of war by Napoleon and later returned.

While there, you will want to also see the American Embassy and the Academy of Arts located next to the gate. Only a block from the Reichstag Building, this monument is a must-see attraction in Berlin.