Die Siegessäule
- The victory column
The Siegessäule, with its golden statue
of Victory, is one of the most imposing landmarks in the city,
and reflects the city's history in remarkable fashion.Originally
constructed on the Königsplatz, today the Platz der Republik in
front of the Reichtag (parlalment) as the national monument to
Germany's "Wars of Unification", it was built to plans
by Heinrich Strack from 1864–73 to commemorate victory in
the Prussian-Danish war. After further victories against Austria
and France, it was supplemented with Friedrich Drake's 8.3m-high
golden Victoria. During the Third Reich, a fourth column drum was
added, bringing the total height to 67m. In 1938/39, the monument
was moved to the Großer Stern crossroads in the Tiergarte, as
part of the redesigning of the "Capital of the German
Reich"
Surviving the war without major damage,
it was restored in the 1980s. It features a columned hall with
reliefs by Alexander Candrelli, Karl Keil, Moritz Schultz and
Wolff depicting portraits and battle scenes. These were removed
at the behest of the Allies, but reinstated in the 1980s. The
glass mosaic created by Anton von Werner also depicts battle
scenes. Golden gun barrels from the spoils of war decorate the
column shaft. A viewing platform on the column offers a wonderful
panoramic view of the city.
Click on the
small pictures to get a larger version.
| 67m tall |
Tableaux
on the bottom |
Victoria |
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| Great
view over Berlin from the top |
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| Portraints
and battlefields on the bottom of the column |
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