Brandenburger Tor

The Brandenburg Gate became the main symbol of Berlin’s division. From 1961 to 1989, it stood inaccessible in the death strip, visible but unreachable from both sides. On 22 December 1989, the gate was reopened as over 100,000 people gathered to celebrate. Today it is the main site for reunification events.

Built in 1791 as a neoclassical gateway to the city, the Brandenburg Gate had been a symbol of Berlin for nearly two centuries before the wall turned it into a symbol of division. When the wall went up on 13 August 1961, the gate was left standing in the death strip, inaccessible from both sides. East German border guards patrolled in front of it, and Western visitors could only view it from a distance, standing on observation platforms behind the wall.

For 28 years, the gate featured in countless photographs and news broadcasts as the most powerful visual symbol of the Cold War divide. Western leaders including John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan made speeches within sight of the gate, with Reagan famously demanding in 1987: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

On 22 December 1989, just six weeks after the wall was breached, the Brandenburg Gate was formally reopened in a ceremony attended by the chancellors of both German states. Over 100,000 people gathered to celebrate, and the images of crowds streaming through the gate became the defining icon of German reunification. Today the gate stands at the heart of unified Berlin, the main site for national celebrations.

 Show me on the map

Gallery