Brandenburg Gate

Neoclassical Triumphal Gate Of 1791 By Carl Gotthard Langhans, Crowned By The Quadriga; The Symbol Of Berlin, Of German Division And Of The 1989 Reunification · Berlin, Berlin

The Brandenburg Gate is a neoclassical triumphal gate of 1791 by Carl Gotthard Langhans, modelled on the entrance to the Athenian Acropolis and crowned by the Quadriga, a chariot driven by the goddess of victory. It stands on Pariser Platz at the west end of Unter den Linden, where Berlin's customs wall once ended. Napoleon took the Quadriga to Paris in 1806 and it came back in 1814. From 1961 to 1989 the gate stood inside the border strip, unreachable from either side, which is why the images of crowds on the wall in front of it in November 1989 became the picture of German reunification. Practically, this is a fifteen-minute stop: it is free, open air, floodlit at night, never closed, and there is no ticket and nothing to go inside. What takes planning is the photograph, because the gate faces east and west and almost everyone shoots it straight into the sun at the wrong hour. The Reichstag and the Holocaust Memorial are both within five minutes on foot, so treat the gate as a crossroads rather than a destination.

Pariser Platz, at the west end of Unter den Linden, Berlin Mitte, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Open permanently and free. There is no gate, no barrier, no ticket and no opening hours: the square is a public space day and night, and the gate is floodlit after dark, which is when it photographs best. The small tourist information office on Pariser Platz and the Room of Silence in the north gatehouse keep ordinary daytime hours and close in the evening - confirm. Pariser Platz is pedestrianised and reached in a few minutes from the Brandenburger Tor U5 and S-Bahn station. The square is closed off and ticketed for the New Year's Eve party, and closed for state visits, demonstrations and the Berlin Marathon finish, sometimes at short notice - check the news on the day if you are on a tight schedule.

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