Why did the Germans keep the inscriptions of Soviet soldiers on the walls of the Reichstag? Who left their autographs on the walls of the Reichstag
The Berlin building, where the German parliament, the Bundestag, sits after the reunification of Germany (since 1999), has a very interesting fate. The past is tragic, the present is “reconstructive,” and the future, as it should be, is unknown.
The Reichstag was unlucky throughout its rather short history.
The headquarters of the German parliamentarians of the German Empire, which was finally united in 1871, ordered the creation of another Kaiser Wilhelm I . The construction of the building, designed in the high Renaissance style, with a luxurious glass dome, was completed under the next Kaiser - Wilhelm II in 1894. It lasted for almost 12 years: the competition was announced back in 1882, out of 183 projects they chose the one presented by the Frankfurt architect Paul Wallot .
View of the Reichstag in the photo late XIX century:
It is interesting that the inscription on the pediment of the building "Dem Deutsche Volke" (“To the German People”), conceived by the architect, was banned by the Kaiser. It appeared above the central portal of the Reichstag only in 1916.
Further fate The Reichstag was quite sad. Less than 40 years after the opening, having somehow survived the First world war and revolution, it literally burned to the ground. Fire 1933 , which completely destroyed the meeting room, - textbook example provocations: apparently, it was organized by the Nazis, but all the blame was immediately placed on the communists.
After the fire, the Reichstag lay in ruins for a long time, and Hitler's decorative parliament met nearby, in the so-called Opera Kroll (this building did not survive; it was destroyed by Allied aircraft in November 1943, and its ruins were finally demolished in 1951).
Meeting of the Reichstag at the Opera Kroll on October 6, 1939,
in which Hitler announces the end of the campaign against Poland:
In 1942, meetings of the Hitlerite parliament ceased altogether, and the restored Reichstag building was used by the Nazis for various kinds of propaganda meetings.
During the storming of Berlin Soviet troops At the end of April - beginning of May 1945, the Reichstag was significantly damaged during artillery shelling.
For Soviet soldiers The Reichstag was one of the symbols of Hitler's Germany,
although in fact parliament played almost no role in the Third Reich.
But how could Soviet soldiers, motivated by a thirst for revenge for everything that happened, know this?
what did the Nazis do in the occupied territories of the USSR?
The first attempts to reconstruct the Reichstag were made only in 1954. Moreover, they were somewhat peculiar: due to the threat of collapse, the frame of the dome, the “trademark” of the Reichstag, was blown up.
After the construction of the infamous Berlin Wall in 1961, the Reichstag was located in West Berlin. And in the same year, the architect took up the reconstruction of the building Paul Baumgarten , through his efforts the German parliament was expanded and significantly restructured by 1969, however, Finishing work continued until 1973. The departure from the original Renaissance plan was that the building finally lost its dome, and the corner towers were shortened by several meters. As a result, the Reichstag began to resemble a kind of fortified castle.
Reichstag without dome:
Typically, before the unification of Germany, it was not possible to use the Reichstag for its intended purpose: the special status of West Berlin did not allow the Bundestag to be transferred there. This opportunity arose only in 1990, and in 1992 the Reichstag underwent another restructuring.
80 applicants took part in the competition for the reconstruction of the Reichstag, but it was won in 1995 by the famous English architect Norman Foster .
Modern Reichstag building:
In 1999, the Reichstag again acquired a glass dome inside which housed observation galleries. Now anyone can (by appointment, of course) watch the work of German parliamentarians if they are interested.
The new Reichstag dome is a typical example of Norman Foster's work:
Inside the Reichstag dome:
The most heated debates during the reconstruction of the 1990s were over the inscriptions left on the walls of the Reichstag by Soviet soldiers in May 1945 and the name of the new seat of the German parliament.
As a result, the inscriptions were preserved, preserved using a special technology - "as an example for posterity" .
Inscriptions of Soviet soldiers on (and in) the Reichstag:
And the name of the Reichstag remained the same.
Although there were many options - from the "Bundeshaus" to the "Plenary Sessions Building".
But the German authorities decided that the word “Reichstag” did not carry any negative connotations.
Perhaps they were right, because one should not forget one’s history, although I would argue about the “negative connotation.”
Thank you for attention.
Sergey Vorobiev.
However, it is inside the Reichstag that some inscriptions of Soviet soldiers still remain. Today, May 9, I propose to honor the memory of the victims and see what the main government building of modern Germany has now become
In 2008, when I first came to Berlin for half a day, I encountered a kilometer-long queue at the Reichstag, and even in the rain, we left with nothing. When I returned there in 2011, it turned out that you can only get inside the building by pre-registration via the Internet. In 2012, I supposedly signed up, but it turned out that the registration was only for a tour of the dome of the building. It turns out that you can visit the corridors of the Reichstag only by signing up for a tour, which is conducted only in German.
Late in the evening, March 4, we arrived on the excursion as part of a small group of Germans; we waited a very long time for the guide, who turned out to be terribly boring and even spoke rather incomprehensible (to me) German.
The excursion itself lasts one hour, and about half of this time you will stay in the meeting room, where they will talk for a long time about the procedure of these very meetings, the composition of the parties, the activities of the government... The lonely grandfather from the excursion will show political activity and ask the guide a lot of questions
And the guide spent only 5 minutes on the inscriptions of Soviet soldiers. During the total reconstruction of the building, it was planned to completely remove all the inscriptions, since the building was completely covered in them. But the Russian embassy demanded that the memory be left at least partially. As a result, the inscriptions fit quite harmoniously into the updated interior of the Reichstag
If someone says that the Germans are great and honor the memory so much, then I would not say that this is actually the case. The guide (by the way, a real employee of the Bundestag) expressed the general opinion that they should have been removed from the walls a long time ago, that no one needed them, and that in general there were Russian obscenities written there. People generally approve. I corrected him, kindly translating some of the inscriptions, which made Monsieur a little embarrassed, obviously not expecting to see a descendant of a Soviet soldier among the excursion group. My great-grandfather took part in the storming of Berlin as part of the 216th Infantry Regiment of the 47th Army. And although he did not take part in the battles for the Reichstag buildings, he left his autograph there afterwards, if only I knew where...
Apparently, sometimes Russians also come on the excursion, since some “fighter” tried not so long ago to leave his autograph there with a felt-tip pen, now there are surveillance cameras there
In fact, there are not many inscriptions left
By the way, I found some inscriptions from Anglo-American soldiers, apparently they managed to sign before they divided Berlin into sectors
There were bullet marks in some places, and there were bloody battles inside the building.
Unfortunately, you can’t walk freely everywhere; the excursion route is directed in a slightly different direction
We cross the underground bridge to the new Bundestag building
This part reminds me of the Senate from Star Wars. In fact, these are separate rooms where party members hold their closed meetings
By the way, these green men (not to be confused with the Crimean ones) on the stairs symbolize the laundering of these very inscriptions as a symbol of the rebirth of the new Germany. Well that's what we were told
We walk past the dome, a good night shot without a tripod
Conference room. I'm giving an interview
How often it happens in life that you don’t know something, don’t notice something, don’t attach importance to something, and suddenly the moment comes when you seem to see the light.
Several years ago, my good friend, the German Ruth Walter, told me what an indelible impression a tour of the Reichstag building in Berlin made on her. No, it was not the building itself with its unusual architectural structures, not its scale, but just a few walls and niches of corridors with numerous inscriptions of Soviet soldiers, left there by them at the end of the war, in May 1945. When she showed me photographs of the Reichstag walls with inscriptions in Russian, there were tears in her eyes: “They fought not only for their Motherland, but for us too. By risking their lives, they gave us peace.” And I, in turn, was shocked not so much by the fact of the inscriptions left, but by the way a German woman who survived the war spoke about it.
Then I forgot about it, there were things to do, work and many other things that seemed more important at that time. But a few years later, a series of events brought me back to this topic, and I met Karin Felix, an employee of the Reichstag.
Karin is an amazing person. She knows by heart almost everything that is written on the walls of the Reichstag. He can tell with accuracy where this or that surname is located. For her, these are not just inscriptions. Behind every name, behind every phrase, she sees a soldier, a man who had to endure God knows what in those terrible years of the war. She told me and provided materials about several veterans who, after the war, visited Berlin, visited the Reichstag building and found their names there.
The first Soviet soldier to find his signature was Boris Sapunov in 2001. The then President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Thierse, ordered this case, the first at that time, to be documented in the Reichstag archives.
Today Boris Sapunov, Karin Felix’s “Russian dad” as she calls him, is eighty-eight years old. He is a doctor historical sciences, chief researcher at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
On April 2, 2004, Boris Zolotarevsky found his signature. At the age of 15 he went to the front, at 17 he reached the Reichstag, became an engineer and now lives in Israel. In his letter to Karin Felix he wrote:
“My recent visit to the Bundestag made such a strong impression on me that I did not find the right words to express my feelings and thoughts.
I am very touched by the tact and aesthetic taste with which Germany preserved the autographs of Soviet soldiers on the walls of the Reichstag in memory of the war, which became a tragedy for many peoples...
... It was a very exciting surprise for me to be able to see my autograph and the autographs of my friends Matyash, Shpakov, Fortel and Kvasha, lovingly preserved on the former smoky walls of the Reichstag.
With deep gratitude and respect
B. Zolotarevsky"
Lyudmila Nosova visited Berlin in April 2005, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the liberation from concentration camp. She came with a group of women from Ukraine who had survived Ravensbrück. She is over eighty, she is disabled, and uses a wheelchair.
During a visit to the Reichstag, she found herself near the wall of the northern wing of the building on the first floor and told Karin Felix that her husband had also signed there. During the storming of the Reichstag, he, Alexei Nosov, was barely nineteen. After some searching, Karin Felix was able to show the widow his name. In capital letters, “Nosov” was written on the wall in Cyrillic.
In December 2008, when I visited the Bundestag myself and saw these inscriptions, they made a huge impression on me. But I was even more impressed by Karin Felix’s attitude towards these inscriptions and towards our veterans who visit there. With tenderness and words of gratitude, she shakes hands with each of them.
“Thank you for what you did for us. Thank you that we can live peacefully", she tells them in Russian.
Communication with Ruth Walter and Karin Felix, their attitude towards autographs on the walls of the Reichstag, could not leave me indifferent. Having taken photographs of the walls on which the inscriptions were preserved, I compiled a list of all readable names and phrases. There are more than 300 of them.
This is a historically unique memory of the soldiers and officers of the Soviet army who reached Berlin itself. Unfortunately, many of these soldiers may never have known that their names on the Reichstag were preserved and still read 65 years later. Others do not know about it simply due to lack of information. After all, you can see these autographs only by visiting the Reichstag building itself.
Now I am compiling a catalog with the names of soldiers in Russian and German. I am collecting materials about those who have already found their last names or the last names of their relatives.
Perhaps one of the readers will recognize someone's name and respond. Then the catalog of victorious soldiers who reached Berlin and endorsed the Victory with their autographs on the walls of the Reichstag will be replenished with new stories.
So, here is a list of inscriptions.
Kasyanov
Boris T.
Stalingrad
May 9, 1945 Stalingraders in Berlin!!!
Captain Chistyakov
captain Rubtsov P.A.
l-t. Cherk(a) (G)
l-t. Gabidulin
l-t. Less(in)
serge. Popov
serge. Serk(p)ov
serge. Mukhin
Chekanov Ivan
......................
Stalingrad
Stalingraders
Shpakov P.
Matyash
Zolotarevsky
Stalingrad-Berlin
captain
Shahray
Was here
Leonov Ivan Borisovich
Stalingrad
.............
...................
Write
Stalingraders Popov, Dushkova,
9.5.45
Moscow - Berlin
Z.N. P.S. Sokolov
Yufa from Moscow
Romashkov
Moscow
Schumann N.K.
Moscow
Moscow - Smolensk - Berlin gvr. Mukhin A. A. born 1923
9/V 45
Moscow - Kaluga
Erokhin V. Kalinin S.P.
Moscow Kantselyarsky 30.5.45
Moscow
Pokhodaev
Remanchikov
Modzhitov
Kesey...
10-06-45
Pavlov P(?) N.
Moscow-Berlin and back Berlin-Moscow
There was a guy from Kuskov - Mezentsev D.A. (?)
Moscow-Berlin passed way l-t(K?)avid.....in
Was here on 9/V 45.
from Leningrad Chi(e)(a)lkov, Valens
Alex
They paid in full for Leningrad
Sapozhkov I.
...yechishin
Panfilov (Tikhvin)
2-5-45 Leningrad 2-5-45
Koso(u)rov Yudichev Beskrovny
Leningrad-Berlin
Pogrosyan Ivan.....
13.5.45
Glory to the Stormtroopers
2 -ml- sergeant. Nadtafov Baku
4 Sgt. Tatarkin Kursk
The Slav brothers paid in full for Leningrad Maksimov I.G.
There was a guard here - .............
Ba(o)la(o)banov
Leningrad - Berlin
Vyborg - Berlin
Prilutsky
Glory to Stalin
to his officers and soldiers
Romashenko(?) Boyko
Kyiv.... 45
Kyiv May 13
Dvorn... V.T.
Tula - Bochkov
Kyiv - Fedorov
Donbass
Todorov V. A.(?)
Donbass-Koshik
Gradina.. in Poltava region
G.K. Pereverzev Kursk
Demin
from Kharkov
Kharkov Nosik
Zaitsev Grigory is here
Kharkov - Berlin
Saratov-Berlin Faki.. 9/5
Berlin May 31, 1945
Odessa resident Pechkin G.
Leningradets Zhitmarev
visited the ruins of Berlin and were very pleased
Odessa - Berlin Greenberg
Varvarov V.A.
Radiation beam
(N)ebchenko from Ukraine
Dnepropetrovsk
Sher(e)(s)tyukov A(?)
Dnepropetrovsk
Pototsky
Chkalov
Timokhin
24.5.45 Krivoy Rog-Ordzhinikidze-Berlin
Girol M.L(?)
Levi
Michael)
Kerch
Lida Antonova, Yalta
Constipated...
Musya
Shutyaev V.V.F. from Kursk
Brest-Lutsk-Lvov-Berlin 5/V
Serge Popov A.V.
Belarusian Vankevets K.L. was here.
Tokin Vasil Gomel
Nersesyan N.G.
3.5.45
Yerevan
I'm also from Yerevan
Komsomol member
Grozny
Khrustalev
Caucasus-Berlin
Torasenko Konstantin Fedotovich
There were.....
Akhvetsiani - Caucasus
Andreev
Caucasus+Berlin
Sokolov Yalda
Caucasus
Caucasus Berlin Reistakh Malchenko
Ivan
Burrs. Grozny-Berlin
Caucasus - Chityan
Major Likhnenko's signalmen were here
Caucasus - Sochi - Warsaw - Berlin - Elbe
Came from the Caucasus
Mago Aliev from Kislovodsk
N.T.
Dolzhenko.Vladimir
Nalchik
Tbilisi - Berlin
Kolesnikov
Margirut
Tehran-Baku-Berlin
Glory to the Stormtroopers
1- ml - Lieutenant Ivanov E. Leningrad
2 -ml- sergeant. Nadtafov Baku
3 - ......Mar(she)inenko.... Priluk.
4 Sgt. Tatarkin Kursk
Dzhilinbaev A.
Almaty - Berlin
Savelyev
Simono(?) from Tataria
G. Mary Kobee
Masharipov(?) from Turkmenistan 6/5 45
Salsk
Berlin
Taek...
Fedor...
Rostov
Rosino...
From the Artyom Mine to Berlin
Vinokurova T.V.
More
Klimenko
Rostov
There were Siberians
Borisenko P.F.
Fidoseev S.N.
Sidor(?)enko(?)
g. ..... Siberia
Kvashnin
Siberia
T.A. was here. Zhuko....
from Altai
Chita
Radishevsky
9/v 45
Novosibirsk-Kharkov-Odessa
Lieutenant Colonel Cool...
22/V 45
Military railway workers from Khabarovsk to Berlin
1. Stuzhnev
2. Additional(n)ov
3. Ermolenko
4. Sounds
(1)6.5.45
We were here from Orel
Gaponov
Kanichev
Savoy
Toropov
from Orel to Berlin
Golubev A.A. - Kalinin
Streltsova - Ural
Burobina - (?)Kazan(?)
Mordovia
Abramov(?)
Tuapse-Berlin
Kod(l)onsky B.Yu.
1949 (painted)
Omsk
Berlin
Shvets
Taraburin Gorky
Satarov was here
Gorky
Astrakhan
Shevele(v) P.A.(?) May 20
Zaitsev Grigory is here
Kharkov - Berlin
Saratov-Berlin Faki... 9/5
Today, 21-5-48, we were here again: Laptev Yu.A. from Sverdlovsk
Shutyaev V.V.F. from Kursk
Reports about the Reichstag. PartIII
Parliament belongs to the people. “Dem deutschen Volke” - “To the German people,” is written above the entrance to the Reichstag in Berlin. Architect Paul Wallot wanted to place this kind of dedicatory inscription back in 1894, for the opening of the imperial parliament building on its facade, but encountered resistance from the German Kaiser Wilhelm II. He did not like the mention of “the people” in this context.
The site designated for the dedication remained empty for more than ten years. Only at the height of the First World War, when in 1916 the deputies from the Social Democratic Party agreed to vote for war loans, and Germany was already pretty tired of the war, did the Kaiser decide to respond with a broad gesture. The letters were cast in a calligraphic font that was fashionable at the time, a unical from bronze of two French cannons taken during the liberation wars of 1813-1815.
From 1894 to 1918, the Imperial Parliament of Kaiser Germany worked in the Reichstag building in Berlin, and then, until the fire of 1933, the parliament of the Weimar Republic, from whose window it was once proclaimed. The building was destined to become the seat of parliament again only in 1999.
The original letters are still on the façade of the Reichstag - silent witnesses to the arson of 1933, the rise of the National Socialists to power, and the holding of anti-Semitic and anti-communist exhibitions in the damaged building such as “The Eternal Jew” (“Der ewige Jude”) or “Bolshevism without a mask” ( "Bolschewismus ohne Maske"). Later, models of “Germany” (“Welthauptstadt Germania”) were demonstrated here - the new “capital of the world”, which his court architect Albert Speer was going to build on the site of Berlin, by order of Adolf Hitler.
The Reichstag arson served as a formal pretext for the reprisal against the opposition and the seizure of power by the National Socialists, and its circumstances have not yet been fully investigated. Hitler blamed the arson on the communists, and the communists blamed Hitler. During the fire, the Reichstag meeting hall was almost completely burned out. The next one-party “parliament” (we need to put quotation marks here), which included exclusively deputies from the NSDAP, held its meetings in the Krolloper near the Brandenburg Gate. Berliners sarcastically called this operetta “parliament” “the highest paid male choir in the world” (“höchstbezahlter Männergesangsverein”).
Interesting fact. During the search for a site for the construction of the Reichstag, which took more than ten years after the corresponding decision was made in 1871 (we talked about this in the previous part of the report), deputies were offered to purchase the Kroll Opera and build a building in its place. They put the issue to a vote several times, but invariably rejected this option. The deputies did not want the Kaiser's parliament building to stand on the site of a former entertainment venue...
From 1933 to 1942, the Nazi Reichstag met for its propaganda and demonstrative meetings only 19 times - including on September 15, 1935 for a visiting session in the “city of NSDAP party congresses” Nuremberg to vote on the “racial laws” that marked the beginning of mass destruction European Jews.
Video: Inscriptions of Soviet soldiers
During the Second World War, the windows of the Reichstag, which did not play any role in the system of architectural and ideological symbols of the National Socialist dictatorship, were walled up. In some of its premises, AEG established the production of radio tubes, in others they housed a military hospital and the obstetric department of the Berlin Charité clinic.
During the first post-war decade, the building, located in the western part of Berlin, was in a dilapidated state. In 1954, due to the threat of collapse, the remains of the dome were blown up, although, according to some architects, without much need. Soon they decided to carry out renovations, but in the conditions of divided Germany it was not clear for what purpose the Reichstag building would be used.
Repair work dragged on until 1973. The West German architect Paul Baumgarten, who won the competition, refused to restore the dome, and also, in keeping with the pragmatic spirit of the 60s, removed many carved and plaster decorations in the neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque styles, citing the fact that they were already suffered greatly during the war and gradually collapsed after it.
Inscriptions in Russian
The walls inside were lined with white panels, under which traces of battles were hidden, as well as the autographs of Soviet soldiers, thus - willingly or unwillingly - preserving them for the future. The former conference hall, which burned down in 1933, was restored, with the expectation of German reunification, so that there was enough space for all deputies. In some rooms there was a historical exhibition telling about the history of the building.
In 1971, the victorious powers adopted a new Quadrilateral Agreement on West Berlin (Viermächteabkommen über Berlin) on the status of this part of the divided city. During the period of detente Soviet Union, the US, UK and France agreed that West Berlin is not integral part Germany, but the Federal Republic of Germany received the right to represent its interests in the international arena if they did not affect strategic and security issues.
This agreement prevented plans to hold some plenary sessions of the Bundestag in West Berlin. True, faction meetings and commission hearings were sometimes held in the renovated Reichstag building, to which deputies flew from Bonn. But these events were rather symbolic in nature: they demonstrated Germany’s desire to unite the country.
German reunification
One of the most significant events in modern times German history happened near the Reichstag building on October 3, 1990. At midnight, the black, red and gold flag of a united Germany was raised on the flagpole in front of the western portal. It was on this day, less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, that the formal legal reunification of the country took place. Newsreel footage shows the steps of the Reichstag illuminated by floodlights. Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his wife surrounded by German politicians. A mass of thousands of people in the dark sings the national anthem about unity, justice and freedom: “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit...”
During the renovation of the building in 1995-1999, before the German capital moved from Bonn to Berlin, almost all of the changes made by Baumgarten were corrected, focusing on Wallot's original plans. But the reconstruction, of course, did not pursue the goal of restoring the Reichstag to its previous form. Preserving traces of history was one of the conditions of an open international competition, which was won by British architect Norman Foster.
Visitors and deputies are reminded of the capture of the Reichstag in 1945 by inscriptions made by Red Army soldiers. Now, thanks to special restoration technology, they look as if they appeared just yesterday. All the soldiers' autographs found on the walls after the "Baumgarten" cladding was removed were first recorded in photographs and then transferred to German.
Some of the inscriptions were left for viewing, some had to be removed under plaster, but in such a way as to preserve them, that is, preserve them. The inscriptions containing obscene words and obscenities were removed, having previously agreed with Russian diplomats.
During tours of the building, guides like to repeat the story about the first deputies who entered the Reichstag after the parliament moved from Bonn to Berlin. One of them, seeing the autographs of Soviet soldiers, thought that these were fresh traces left by some hooligans in the newly renovated premises. The deputy called the parliamentary affairs office to tell him about this blatant disgrace, but they explained to him the origin and meaning of these inscriptions. Let us note that not all deputies liked the idea of preserving historical reminders, but they did not receive support.
See also:
History of the Brandenburg Gate
Symbol of unity
Until the mid-19th century, Berlin was surrounded by a city customs wall. It was possible to enter its territory through eighteen gates, which were later dismantled, with the exception of one and only one. Today they are the most popular landmark of the German capital and an architectural symbol of a united Germany.
"Athens on the Spree"
This is what the place looked like in 1764. About a quarter of a century later, the Prussian king Frederick William II ordered the construction of a new gate here. Architect Karl Gotthard Langhans prepared a project in the style of classicism, taking as a role model the antique gate that formed the entrance to the Acropolis. Berlin at that time was the center cultural life Europe and it was even called “Athens on the Spree”.
Gate of Peace
Construction of the gate was completed in August 1791. In 1793, a quadriga was installed on them, which is now ruled by the goddess of victory Victoria. But initially this place on the Gate of Peace (Friedenstor), as they were then called, was occupied by Eirene, the daughter of Zeus, the goddess of peace in ancient Greek mythology. The design of a triumphal chariot drawn by four horses was developed by the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow.
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Triumphant return
In 1814, after the defeat of Napoleon's troops by a coalition led by Russia and Prussia, the quadriga was solemnly returned from Paris to Berlin. Gate purchased new look. They became the Prussian triumphal arch. The author of the project was the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Quadriga was now ruled not by the goddess of peace, but by the goddess of victory Victoria, who received an iron cross and a wreath of oak leaves as a reward.
Nazi propaganda
During the Third Reich, the National Socialists used the Brandenburg Gate for their propaganda. Immediately after Hitler seized power in January 1933, they staged a torchlight procession here. Berlin was to become the "Capital of the World". Plans for the creation of "Germany" included the construction of a new gigantic triumphal arch, the demolition of entire neighborhoods, but not the Brandenburg Gate.
After the war
During the bombing of World War II and the capture of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was seriously damaged. In a divided city, they found themselves in the Soviet occupation zone. Until 1957, the flag of the USSR flew over them, and then the GDR. The Quadriga was completely destroyed. All that was left was the head of one of the horses. Now it is in the museum.
Reconstruction
The sculpture had to be restored. IN this issue East and West Berlin, despite the political confrontation, agreed to cooperate. For this purpose, they used casts made during the war shortly before the start of the massive bombing of Berlin. An exact copy of the quadriga was installed in 1957. However, soon the GDR authorities made adjustments: they removed the cross and the Prussian eagle.
No Man's Land
On August 13, 1961, construction of the wall began. As a result, the Brandenburg Gate found itself in a restricted area between East and West Berlin. The wall passed right in front of them. Only East German border guards now had access here, and these historical gates themselves became a symbol of the division of Germany.
"Tear down this Wall!"
The speech that US President Ronald Reagan delivered here on June 12, 1987 went down in history. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!” he called on the Soviet leader. “Open these gates!” Reagan's words, amplified by powerful speakers, were heard throughout East Berlin. Back then no one knew what would happen in just two years.
Fall of the Belin Wall
Immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, thousands of people went to the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the event. The symbol of the division of Germany became a symbol of the reunification of the country.
Meeting point
Today, the Brandenburg Gate is not only a popular attraction, but also a place for concerts, celebrations, and demonstrations. In 2006, during the world football championship in Germany, the so-called mile for fans was held for the first time - a multi-day celebration of fans with live broadcasts of matches on giant screens.
Solidarity
Every autumn, Berlin hosts the Festival of Lights, which includes the Brandenburg Gate. They also become a place of expression of solidarity after terrorist attacks and other emergencies. This photo was taken in June 2016 after an attack on a gay club in the American city of Orlando.
Hanukkah
The 10-meter Hanukkah was installed in front of the Brandenburg Gate in December 2015. According to the traditions of Judaism, the candles of this lamp are lit during the eight days of Hanukkah. The ceremony was attended by the German Government Commissioner for Culture and Media Monika Grutters. Currently, about 12 thousand Jews live in the German capital.
Symbol
The Brandenburg Gate is a monument to European and German history, witnesses to numerous wars and a symbol of hope. "Frieden" - "Peace". This light installation could be seen on the Brandenburg Gate in 2014 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.