Week One

<History and background>

The Brandenburg Gate was created as a gate to the city of Berlin for the King during the Prussian Empire. The Gate, which was completed in 1791 by Karl Gotthard Langhans, has a statue on top of it called the “Quadriga.” The Quadriga is made up of a goddess riding with four horses, thus depicting an image of strength and victory for the Prussians. Only the royal family of Prussia was allowed to walk through the center of the gates, anyone else had to walk around or on the other sides of the main opening.

During the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, the Brandenburg Gate became a sign of fascism since the dictator Adolf Hitler, often held propaganda events there for local Berliners. However, during this time period, the Brandenburg Gate was damaged severely so after World War II had ended, and before the Berlin Wall was created, both East and West Berlin helped restore the Gate to its formal glory. After the Berlin Wall was created the historic Gate was on the side of the German Democratic Republic, East side of Berlin. This allowed the GDR government to remove the iron cross and the Prussian Eagle from the Brandenburg Gate because the government believed that these were a symbol for the Germany military that no longer existed. However after the Berlin Wall fell thousands of Berliners flocked to the Gate to celebrate the reunification of the city. Throughout history the Brandenburg Gate conveys a message of: strength, unification, and peace; and it continues to share this message today with Germans and millions of tourists every year.

<Personal Experience>

On the afternoon of May 11^th after the Berlin Wall Tour, some of us went to the Brandenburg Gate where Berlin Wall used to stand behind it to divide Berlin into the West and the East. When we got there and started to make the “OHIO” sign for the group picture, a couple of visitors from South Korea spotted us doing so and they thought that it was something very significant in Germany while people were taking pictures, so they automatically copied the “OHIO” in their pictures. Later on, when we chatted with them, we found out that they were from Seoul, South Korea, and this whole family was traveling around Europe for an anniversary; additionally, Berlin was their very first stop. At the Pariser Platz where the Brandenburg Gate locates, we have noticed that there were a great number of people from different countries speaking so many diverse languages, and it is amazing to witness that every since the Berlin Wall was taken down, it has not only connected those individuals from West Berlin and East Berlin, but has also connected numerous citizens from the world at this magical place. We are thankful for the chance to visit and admire this significant and historic piece of architecture and are able to admire its strength to stand against time.

Written by: Tower Zhou and Brittany Hegeman