Places & landmarks

12 entries

The Brandenburg GateDas Brandenburger Tor1791 fertiggestellt

Berlin’s landmark - walled in and in no man’s land for decades, today the image of reunification.

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The gate was completed in 1791, modelled on the Propylaea of the Athenian Acropolis; on top stands the Quadriga, a chariot with four horses. Napoleon had it taken to Paris in 1806; it came back in 1814. From 1961 to 1989 the gate stood right at the Wall, in the restricted zone, inaccessible from both sides - which is exactly why it became the strongest image of German division. It was reopened on 22 December 1989, six weeks after the Wall fell. Today it stands on Pariser Platz at the end of Unter den Linden and is the place for New Year’s Eve, state visits and public broadcasts. For learners it is a useful anchor for the compass points of the city map: to the west the Tiergarten begins, to the east Unter den Linden leads to the Museum Island.

What to know

Completed in 1791, modelled on the Athenian Propylaea - 1791 fertig, nach dem Vorbild der Athener Propyläen
The Quadriga was in Paris from 1806 to 1814 - Die Quadriga war von 1806 bis 1814 in Paris
From 1961 to 1989 in the restricted zone, closed to both sides - 1961 bis 1989 im Sperrgebiet, für beide Seiten unzugänglich
Reopened on 22 December 1989 - Wieder geöffnet am 22. Dezember 1989

Hallmark

We are meeting at the Brandenburg Gate.

Wir treffen uns am Brandenburger Tor.

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Cologne CathedralDer Kölner Dom1248 begonnen, 1880 vollendet

Six hundred and thirty years of building, two towers above the station forecourt - and a building site that has still not ended.

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The foundation stone was laid in 1248, to house the relics of the Three Kings fittingly. Around 1560 work stopped; for centuries the famous crane stood on the unfinished south tower. Only Romanticism rediscovered the Gothic ruin as a national cause, and in 1880 the cathedral was completed to the medieval plans - for four years the tallest building in the world. In the Second World War it was hit by numerous bombs but remained standing while the city centre around it disappeared. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1996. The cathedral workshop works without interruption, because the soft sandstone constantly has to be replaced - hence the Cologne saying that the world will end when the cathedral is finished. Step out of the main station and you are directly in front of it.

What to know

Begun in 1248, completed in 1880 to the old plans - 1248 begonnen, 1880 nach den alten Rissen vollendet
The tallest building in the world for four years - Vier Jahre lang das höchste Gebäude der Welt
Remained standing in the war while the city disappeared - Blieb im Krieg stehen, während die Stadt verschwand
The cathedral workshop goes on working without a break - Die Dombauhütte arbeitet ununterbrochen weiter

Hallmark

The cathedral is right next to the main station.

Der Dom steht direkt neben dem Hauptbahnhof.

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Neuschwanstein CastleSchloss Neuschwansteinab 1869

Ludwig II’s fairy-tale castle - never finished, never a fortress, and yet the most photographed building in the country.

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King Ludwig II of Bavaria had the complex built from 1869 above the Pöllat gorge, not as a fortress but as a stage set: the rooms take up motifs from the operas of Richard Wagner, whom the king revered and supported financially. Ludwig moved in in 1884, lived there only a few months in all, and died in 1886 in Lake Starnberg under circumstances still unexplained; the building remained unfinished. Seven weeks after his death the castle was opened to visitors - the opposite of what the reclusive king had wanted. Today more than a million people come each year. One misunderstanding matters for learners: it is not a medieval building but nineteenth-century historicism, with central heating and running water.

What to know

Built for Ludwig II from 1869, never completed - Ab 1869 für Ludwig II. gebaut, nie vollendet
The rooms take up motifs from Wagner’s operas - Die Räume greifen Motive aus Wagners Opern auf
Opened to visitors seven weeks after Ludwig’s death - Sieben Wochen nach Ludwigs Tod für Besucher geöffnet
Not medieval: historicism with heating and running water - Kein Mittelalter: Historismus mit Heizung und Wasserleitung

Hallmark

Neuschwanstein looks medieval but dates from the 19th century.

Neuschwanstein sieht mittelalterlich aus, ist aber aus dem 19. Jahrhundert.

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