A Day in Berlin | Brandenburg Gate and a Walk to The Reichstag

Walking up to the Reichstag

Lucky!  Yes, that’s what we are!  Rich has a good friend who is from Berlin and she was kind enough to give us incredibly detailed information on all of the best places to go to while we were in Berlin.  One place she suggested we visit was The Reichstag.

Love locks on the Weidendammer Bridge

To get there, we crossed the Spree River by way of the Weidendammer Bridge built between the years  1895 and 1896.  I stopped to take a picture of the detail of the wrought iron imperial eagle on the bridge when I noticed the locks.  Have you ever seen love padlocks or love locks?  A custom that seems to have started in Italy, the tradition has moved onto Germany and onto this great bridge overlooking the Spree.  The locks have names and dates and are locked onto the bridge and the couple then throws the key to it in the Spree.  The lock is a symbol of their eternal love so if you are über romantic, have a lock engraved before your visit to lock onto the bridge upon your arrival.  Be aware that the government has been removing them so you might want to try one of the other bridges in Berlin if you want your lock to remain there forever.

Brandenburg Gate

Along our walk to The Reichstag, we chose a path that would have us walk by the Brandenburg Gate.

While the only remaining city gate of Berlin formerly used to represent the separation of the city between East and West Berlin, since the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 the Brandenburg Gate has now come to symbolise German unity. In addition, this gate made of sandstone is one of the finest examples of German classicism.

Built according to the plans of Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791, the Brandenburg Gate is modelled on the Propylaeum of Athens’ Acropolis. On both sides, there are six Doric columns supporting the 11 meter-deep transverse beam, which divide the gate into five passages.

In light of a decision made by the Berlin Senate, since October 2002 the Brandenburg Gate has been closed for traffic, including buses and taxis. (From VisitBerlin)

But what importance does the Brandenburg Gate have in modern history?

A former symbol of the divided city, it drew visitors who used to climb an observation platform in order to get a glimpse of the world behind the Iron Curtain, on the other side of the barren “death-strip” which separated east from west Berlin, geographically and politically. It was here that on June 12, 1987, Ronald Regan issued his stern command to his cold war adversary admonishing him with the words: “Mr. Gorbachov – tear down this wall!” The speech delivered to West Berliners was also audible on the east side of the Gate and echoed President von Weizsacker’s words which translate as: “The German question is open as long as the Brandenburg Gate is closed.”  (from Berlin.de)

Quadriga of Victory

Seeing this piece of history in person is truly breathtaking.  Especially see the quadriga sitting atop the gate. Do you know what a quadriga is? A quadriga is a car or a chariot drawn by four horses abreast and is symbol of triumph and victory.

The Berlin Quadriga was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow in 1793 as the Quadriga of Victory, perhaps as a symbol of peace (represented by the olive wreath carried by the Goddess of Victory) and points to the east in the direction of the city centre. The quadriga was seized by Napoleon during his occupation of Berlin in 1806, and taken to Paris. It was returned to Berlin by Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher in 1814. Her olive wreath was subsequently supplemented with an Iron Cross. The statue suffered severe damage during the Second World War, and the association of the Iron Cross with Prussian militarism convinced the Communist government of East Germany to remove this aspect of the statue after the war. The iron cross was restored after German reunification in 1990.

Wherever you go, there is always someone making a historical site into a complete tourist venue.  If you wanted to, you could have your picture taken with performers in military uniforms.  Keep in mind that yes, you can have your picture taken with these people with your camera, but you’ll have to pay for the opportunity to do so.

Maybe you prefer a picture with an “authentic” German bear?

Yes, I did wait until this other guy in a bear costume took his “head” off to snap this picture.  Someone tell me why I would go to Berlin to have my picture taken with a guy in a bear costume?  I have to admit it would have been priceless to see him bicycling in costume down the street.

German Boxer baby

I knew we were going to have a good day when we saw this beautiful German Boxer walk by.  Definitely a shout out to us from my Boxer babies, Josie and Gunther.

Hotel Adlon

Walking up to the Brandenburg Gate I spotted the Hotel Adlon.  In case you don’t remember, this is the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his son, Blanket, from the window in 2002.  Located on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the city center of Berlin in Pariser Platz, Hotel Adlon sits directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate.  Originally opened in 1907, it was destroyed in 1945 at the end of World War II.  Only a small portion remained, the rear service wing, which was opened under the Hotel Adlon name and later used only as a lodging house until 1984 when it was completely demolished.  After the reunification of Germany, the hotel was rebuilt starting in 1995.  Additional expansions to the successful hotel operated under the Kempinski brand include the Adlon Palais and the Adlon Residenz.  Celebrities that have stayed at the Hotel Adlon include Bradd Pitt, Quentin Tarantino, and Bob Geldof  among others.

Warm weather clothes are necessary at the end of December, so we stayed bundled up and continued onto The Reichstag, which I’ll cover in my next post.