Winter night at the Brandenburg Gate by Silva Wischeropp

Long exposure at night on a winter's night at the Brandenburg Gate in East Berlin.

The Brandenburg Gate is a must-see for every visitor to Berlin. Hardly any other sight is in as many tourist selfies as the large sandstone gate in the heart of the city.

The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most important sights in Berlin. It plays a correspondingly large role on city tours and during events such as New Year's Eve or the "Festival of Lights". The gate was once a memorial to division, as it was located in the restricted area after the Berlin Wall was built and could not be visited by people from either the East or the West. After reunification, the gate became a symbol of German unity.

The gate as a symbol of unity
Over the course of history, the Brandenburg Gate has acquired special symbolic power. When the Wall was built in August 1961, the structure led a lonely existence, as it was now in a restricted area and could not be visited or walked through by people from either the East or the West. With the fall of the Wall in 1989, the Brandenburg Gate became a symbol of reunification. On 22 December 1989, the gate was opened to the cheers of more than 100,000 people. However, the Quadriga was so badly damaged by the reunification celebrations, especially on New Year's Eve 1989/90, that it had to be restored two years later.
The Brandenburg Gate is located on Pariser Platz in the centre of Berlin, which is one of the city's most beautiful squares.
The boulevard Unter den Linden leads directly to the square, which is lined with numerous buildings worth seeing. Visitors will find the Hotel Adlon Kempinski, the Academy of Arts and the US Embassy as well as cafés that invite you to linger.