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This imposing structure builts in 1791 has endured several
symbolic reincarnations. Intended by its architect Carl
Gotthard Langhans to be a symbol of peace, the winged victory
goddess and 4-horse chariot posing on the top of the gate
were added a couple of years later, turning it into a monument
to Prussian might. The goddess and her steeds had a short
stint in Paris until Napoleon came along and swiped them
in 1806. Political groups from various ideological corners
hijacked the pliable Brandenburg Gate as the backdrop for
their rallies and processions until 1961 when the wall was
built thus sealing off in no-man's-land. In 1989, after
the dissolution of the border, the area was reopened to
the public. Today, traffic passes freely under the gate
and the surrounding plaza is dotted with stalls. Enterprising
scammers sell all sorts of military souvenirs and hunks
of Berlin Wall concrete, mostly of dubious authenticity.
If the Berlin Wall was ever reconstructed from the fragments
sold to tourists it could probably enclose the whole of
Germany.
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