Home > Berlin victory column

Anchored on a solid fundament of polished red granite, the column resides on a hall of pillars with a glass mosaic designed by Anton von Werner. The colum itself consists of three solid blocks of sandstone, which are decorated by cannon pipes captured from the enemies of the aforementioned three wars. A relief decoration on the foundation, which had to be removed on request of the victorious allied forces in 1945, was restored in the 1980s.

Surrounded by a street circle with heavy car traffic, pedestrians can reach the column through four underground tunnels, built in 1941 according to plans by Johannes Huntenmueller . Via a steep spiral staircase of 285 steps, the physically fit may climb up almost to the top of the pillar, to right underneath the statue, for a small fee and a spectacular view over the Tiergarten.

Not even many Berliners know that originally, the column was erected with a height of merely 50.66 meters opposite the Reichstag building. In preparation of executing the monumental plans to redesign Berlin, in 1939Events January-June January 2 End of term for Frank Finley Merriam, 28th Governor of California. He is succeeded by Culbert Levy Olson. January 24 Earthquake kills 30. 000 in Chile about 50. 000 sq mi razed January 26 Falangists take Barcelona January 26, the NazisNazi Germany or the Third Reich commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933 1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of National Socialism with Adolf Hitler as dictator. The term Nazi is a short form of the German relocated the pillar to its present location at the Großer Stern (Great Asterisk), a large intersection on the visual city axis that leads from the former Berlin City PalaceThe Berlin City Palace ( German: Berliner Stadtschloss was a palace in central Berlin, on Schlossplatz, next to Alexanderplatz. The City Palace was originally opened in 1443, and was home to the rulers of Brandenburg, then Prussia, and finally, the German through the Brandenburg GateThe Brandenburg Gate ( German: Brandenburger Tor is a triumphal arch, the symbol of Berlin, Germany. Located on the Pariser Platz, it is the only remaining one of the series of gates through which one entered Berlin. It constitutes the monumental terminat to the western parts of Berlin. At the same time, the pillar was augmented by another 7.5 meters, giving it its present height of 66.89 meters. The monument survived World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough without much damage.