Berlin City Walk: Brandenburg Gate

When people think of Berlin, they often think of the Brandenburg Gate (me included — see my original post about visiting Berlin). This particular gate has witnessed many significant events specific to Berlin: military parades have marched through its arches, the birth of the Deutsches Reich was celebrated here, and in 1945 the Soviet flag was raised here, too.

It’s an impressive structure, not only in its grandeur but in its historical importance. When Berlin was a divided city, this gate stood watch over the city and eventually saw the Berlin Wall come down in 1989. When I walked through the gate, under one of its many lovely arches, I thought about how lucky all us were — the tourists and Berliners — to freely come and go through the gate as we pleased. There was a time not that long ago when this wasn’t possible.

A historical Nazi parade at the Brandenburg Gate during the anniversary of 1937. Image credit: NWO

Germans from East and West Berlin stand on the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in this Nov. 10, 1989 photo, just after the wall opened. Image credit: TheRecord.com

Brandenburg Gate today, with tourists and Berlins walking freely about. Image credit: Jet Set With Mary