Berlin is a city soaked in history and the architecture is a memorial to the many groups of people that lived in this part of Europe. I have picked three historical landmarks that span centuries of German history in order to give you a selection to pick from that hopefully will interest you!
I will state that these places are not the only historical landmarks in Berlin, and I highly encourage you to visit many of the memorials and museums that exhibit German history. However, I urge tourists to show respect while visiting these places.
We will start our tour of history in the 18th century and continue to modern time, so below are 3 historic place to visit in Berlin!
Brandenburg Gate
I believe that the Brandenburg Gate is Berlin’s most famous landmark since it IS the most photographed. Even in the rain (which was the main forecast during our time in Berlin) the Brandenburg Gate was an iconic image.
Built in the 1730s as one of 18 “Peace Gates”, the Brandenburg Gate has been used as a landmark through many political campaigns. Notoriously when Napoleon defeated the Prussians in 1806 he was the first to use the gate in a victory parade and took the Quadriga located at the top of the gate to Paris. This did not stop the Prussians and they were able to restore the Gate’s Quadriga to Prussia 8 years later. Up until the 1900s, there was a rule that only the royal family was allowed to walk through the central archway. However this privilege was granted to the Pfuel family for their contribution to the restoration of the quadriga to Berlin.
The Brandenburg Gate as withstood both World Wars, the Cold War and the Berlin Wall, which has cemented its symbolism of freedom.
Victory Column
Originally, a column to memorialize the triumph of Prussia in the Danish-Prussia wars, the golden statue of Victoria, the Goddess of Victory, was added to also honor the victories in the Austro- and Franco-Prussian Wars. Today the column is a popular tourist attraction.
If you would like to see one of the best views of Berlin, the Victory column has an observational deck that allows 360° view. The column is only accessible to pedestrians through 4 underpasses indicated by neo-classical temples. The observation deck is accessed for a fee and requires a climb of 270 steps via a spiral staircase.
Address: Großer Stern 1 10557 Berlin
Fee: 3.00€
1936 Olympic Stadium
The 1936 Olympic Stadium is the youngest of the 3 historical landmarks, however, it has some of the most memorable moments associated to it. Since the Olympics was held during the Nazi regime in Berlin, the Olympics was to be used as a propaganda device to showcase the Nazi power. Yet there was moments that undermined the Nazi regime, such as the performance of Jesse Owens in track and field.
Today the Stadium has been used for many sporting events including the FIFA World Cups. Visitors are allowed to walk the circumference of the stadium during the days that do not have events. Anya and I were very interested in seeing the stadium and it was really interesting to see the plaques dedicated to Jesse Owens as well as the street that was named in his honor.
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