Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Building, Historic German Monument, Brandenburger Tor Photo

Brandenburg Gate Berlin, Germany : Brandenburger Tor

Historic Berlin Monument, Germany neoclassical architecture design.

post updated 20 May 2024

Location: Mitte, east end of the Tiergarten

Architect: Carl Gotthard Langhans

Date built: 1788-91

Photos © Adrian Welch

Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburger Tor is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin. It is one of the best-known landmarks of Germany. It is built on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an der Havel.

It is located in the western part of the city centre within Mitte, at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, just west of the Pariser Platz.

One block to the north stands the Reichstag building that houses the German parliament (Bundestag). The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees, which led directly to the royal City Palace of the Prussian monarchs.

It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace. Having suffered considerable damage in World War II, the Brandenburg Gate was restored from 2000-02.

The gate is now again closed to vehicle traffic, and much of Pariser Platz has been turned into a cobblestone pedestrian zone. The gate, along with the broad Straße des 17. Juni avenue to the west, is also one of the large public areas in Berlin where over a million people can gather to watch stage shows or party together, watch major sport events shown on huge screens, or see fireworks at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

source: Brandenburg Gate, Berlin