Brandenburg Gate
Name: Chenfei Cao
Course:Arch 162- M 12
Brandenburg Gate
The
Brandenburg Gate is one of the oldest German monuments located in central
Berlin. The gate’s construction began in 1788 by the orders of the then
Prussian leader, King Friedrich (Encyclopaedia Britannica). It is important to
note that the structure’s design was based on ancient Greek architecture, and
its chief architect was known as Carl Langhans. The gate can be found next to
the Reichstag building, which was the site of the road from Berlin to Brandenburg
town. Without a doubt, this neoclassical landmark is of great significance to
the people of German since it reminds of the period of division and unrest
during the cold-war (Brandenburg Gate). After Germany surrendered, the East
Berlin and West Berlin’s governments made a joint effort on restoring it. They
patched the holes, which however were visible for lots of years after the
war.Before the Berlin Wall was built on 13 August 1961, vehicles and
pedestrians could travel freely through the gate that located in East Berlin.
Brandenburg Gate border crossing was later closed on 14 August 1961. The
western side of the gate was gathered by West Berliners to demonstrate against
the Berlin Wall, among them, Willy Brandt, the West Berlin's governing Mayor who
had spontaneously returned from a federal election campaigning tour in West
Germany earlier on the same day. It was closed throughout the Berlin Wall
period until 22 December 1989. Moreover, since the fall of the Berlin wall, the
structure serves as a symbol of peace and unity in Germany and across Europe. (En.wikipedia.org,
2018).
The
Brandenburg gate’s height is about 66 ft. (20 m) high, and it measures a width
of 213 ft. (65 m). The gate also cuts down 11 meters deep below the ground
since it was inspired by the Acropolis gateway in Athens (Encyclopaedia
Britannica). The material used to construct this landmark is mainly sandstone
with decorations of bas-reliefs. It also contains sculptures drawn to represent
adventures of mythological Heracles. The gate has five passages that emanate
from six Doric columns found on each side. The widest passage is found at the
center since it was meant to be utilized by the royal family, while the four
outer ones were to be used for ordinary citizens (Encyclopaedia Britannica). The
topmost part of the structure contains a sculpture of four horses being ridden
by the Goddess of Peace, Eirene.
Overall,
the Brandenburg gate can be regarded as an important historical building in
Germany and the rest of Europe. Built by King Friedrich of Prussia, the
building has survived the test of time and serves as a symbol of peach of
unity. Its brilliant architectural designs are based
an Ancient Greek designs.
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