The Brandenburg Gate

The Pariser Platz and the Brandenburg Gate

During the cold war, when Berlin was divided in two, the Brandenburg Gate stood between East and West. It was here, in front of the Gate, that former American President Reagan said the famous words: “Mr. Gorbatschow, tear down this wall, Mr. Gorbatschow, open this Gate.”
In the fall of 1989, the wall finally came down, the Gate opened, and East met West on the very spot where you are standing now.

Before you pass the newly built American embassy on your left, duck into the German bank building (DZ Bank) and take a look at a hidden treasure; the architect Frank Ghery built an enormous sculpture in the lobby: Whether it is a giant whale or a horse is debatable, but Ghery says that for him this is the perfect biomorphic sculpture.