Berlin, Brandenburg Gate

The erection of the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961 situated the Brandenburg Gate right in the middle of the restricted area. As a result, the Gate – for a long time to come – could not be accessed from neither the West nor from the East. Only the East-German border guards and groups of visitors, (mostly state guests to the GDR), accompanied by the staff of the Brandenburg Gate information center were able to approach the visitor platform of the Gate. After the Wall fell 28 years following its construction, the Brandenburg Gate was solemnly reopened in the course of what the Germans called “Die Wende”, or "The Turn" on 22 December 1989 while more than 100,000 people cheered on. The barriers and fortifications were then completely removed. On New Year's Eve 1989/1990, spectators climbed on the gate and purloined various attachments of the Quadriga, like the bridle for example. However, a subsequent investigation revealed far more serious damage: since the construction of the Wall, nothing had been done for the preservation of the Quadriga and some of its internal steel parts were completely rusted. The Quadriga was therefore dismantled and in the course of the ensuing complex restoration the iron cross and the eagle was put back to their original place. The annual cost of the maintenance amounts to approx. 200,000 EUR. After a long period when it had been neglected and due to the vast environmental damage it had suffered, the Gate, (in particular the sandstone structures), was extensively renovated by the Berlin Foundation for Monument Protection. After a 22-month restoration period the Bradenburg Gate was officially unveiled on 3 October 2002.