Berlin's Power Centre

The Brandenburg Gate symbolizes peace and unity in Germany and Europe

After our museum hopping, we headed to the Brandenburg Gate, the iconic symbol of Germany as well as of unity and peace. On the subway, the carriage windows are covered in the Brandenburg Gate logo. To see it in person is impressive.

The 18th century neoclassical monument was built on the orders of Prussian King Frederick William II. It is built on the site of the former city gate, located on the western part of Berlin's city centre. When King Frederick William II commissioned the gate, it was meant to represent peace.

Designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, the gate features 12 Doric columns that form five passageways. At the top of the gate is a quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses that were sculpted by Johann Gottfried Schadow.

A detail of the quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses

The design of the gate was inspired by Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

When the Nazis ascended power, they appropriated the gate as a party symbol. During World War II the gate was damaged by bullets and nearby explosions. One of the horse's heads survived the war and is kept in a museum.

After Germany surrendered at the end of the war, both governments of West Berlin and East Berlin restored the gate as best they could. However, when the Berlin Wall was built dividing the city, that prevented access to the gate from 1961 until 1989, when the wall finally fell.

As a result of the wall being torn down, the gate again represented freedom and the desire to unite Berlin.

A short walking distance from the Brandenburg Gate is the Bundestag, or the German parliament. The building itself is called Reichstag. It's an impressive, large building that was enhanced with a glass dome designed by Sir Norman Foster that visitors can climb up to. However, you need to book tickets in advance so we couldn't get in. Something to keep in mind for next time...

The Reichstag, the building that housed the Bundestag

The building was opened in 1894, and it was mysteriously set on fire in 1933 -- probably by the Nazis -- who used the incident to suspend people's rights, arrest communists, and increase police action in the country.

By taking advantage of people's fears, Adolf Hitler was able to rise to power, as he portrayed himself as anti-communist.

The Reichstag was not fully repaired after the fire, and then it was further damaged by air raids. When the Cold War began, the building was basically left unused because the Berlin Wall was built right next to it, and the seat of government of West Germany moved to Bonn in 1949.

From 1961 to 1964, architect Paul Baumgarten reconstructed the building, stripping it back to its former glory.

When Germany was finally reunited in 1990, the ceremony was held at the Reichstag building, but it wasn't until two years later that Foster won the architectural contest to reconstruct the building, that was finally completed in 1999. The large dome gives visitors a 360 view of the city.

The German Chancellery that has some funny nicknames

Adjacent to the Reichstag is the German Chancellery where Chancellor Angela Merkel lives and works. Our taxi driver called it "Merkel House". The contemporary building that was opened in 2001 is the largest government headquarters building in the world at 12,000 square metres, which is 10 times the size of the White House.

Because of its massive size, the German Chancellery has some interesting nicknames. Because of its round shaped windows and cubic form, it's been called bundeswaschmaschine or "federal laundry machine" and elefantenklo or "elephant loo".