Arch Youngjin248Kim
Brandenburg Gate Brandenburger Tor
1 (previous page) Brandenburger Tor in Berlijn Anonymous, Farbenphotographischen Gesellschaft (1911)
Contents
HistoricalOverview
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ModelProcessMethodologyContext
6 Project Overview ModelModelTechniqueMaterialsDateSupervisorInstructorReplicatedDimensionsArchitecturalMaterialFunctionConstructionCoordinatesLocationCommissionerArchitectNameStyleByScaleDimensions Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) Carl Gotthard Langhans King Friedrich Wilhelm II Pariser Platz, Berlin-Mitte, Germany 52° 30’ 58.63” N / 13° 22’ 40.05” E 1788 - 6 August 1791 (1793, the Quadriga) City 65.5m(W)NeoclassicalStoneGatemasonryx11m(D) x 26m(H) Youngjin Kim Val WhiteAugustShannonRynnimeriKennelly2022museumboard, 1/4” basswood dowels Laser printing (Speedy 300, 360) 655mm(W)1:100 x 110mm(D) x 260mm(H) 2 Exterior view of the main facade from the north Günther Schmidt (1935)
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3 Acropolis: Propylaea. University of California, San Diego
The Brandenburg Gate (de: Brandenburg Tor) was built from 1788 to 1791, and was finished on August 6th. It was commissioned by King Friedrich Wilhelm II to commemorate the capital city of the Kingdom of Prussia, Berlin. It was originally named the Peace Gate. The sandstone gate lies ahead of the beautiful boulevard of Unter den Linden, which connects to the Berlin Palace (de: Berliner Schloss), and the Pariser Platz. The gate was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans (1732-1808), the first Director of the Royal Building Commission in Berlin. It is a prime example of early Neoclassical architecture in Germany. Langhans’ designs were strongly influenced by the Propylaea of the Athenian Acropolis: including doric columns, capped pediment, and adjoining temples. Its Greek influence is evident in the intricate reliefs and statues adorning the gate and its large columns. In the center, there is a sculpting of the heroics of Hercules. To the left, there is a sculpture of Mars, the God of War; and to the right, there is Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom. Finally, the Gate was crowned with the Quadriga, a bronze sculpture of Eirene, the Goddess of Peace, whose chariot is pulled by four magnificent horses. The Quadriga was sculpted by Johann Gottfried Schadow, completing the Brandenburg Gate in 1793.
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Historical Context
The narrative continues. During the Nazi reign, the Gate was conveniently used as a backdrop to red Nazi Party flags. The Greek iconography of the Centauromachy, a fight between the Centaurs (the barbaric) and the Lapiths (the heroes), serving as part of the Nazi propaganda. The gate was also a part of a new development of a boulevard between the Adolf-Hitler-Platz (now Theodor-HeussPlatz). Brandenburg Gate would remain intact until the end of the Second World War, when it was severely damaged by bombings and thus had to be replaced by a replica.
Brandenburg4 Gate. Staatliche Bildstelle Berlin (1921)
The Gate’s significance came with, first, a story of defeat. On October 27, 1806, Berlin was captured by Napoleon following a Prussian defeat at the Battle of JenaAuerstedt. Upon passing through the Brandenburg Gate, the Quadriga caught Napoleon’s attention. It was quickly taken down and transported to Paris, where it was moved around from place to place until it was put on hiatus indefinitely. The sculpture remained abandoned to its marauders until Prussian victory over Napoleon in 1814, after which it was retrieved back to its original place in liberated Prussia. The Quadriga, and by extension the Brandenburg Gate, became a symbol of national identity and freedom – but most importantly, victory. Therefore, to fit the message, the Quadriga was refitted with an Iron Cross and a Prussian Black Eagle: from a message of peace, to a message of military triumph.
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Administration (1936)
Adolf Hitler rides in a motorcade through the Brandenburg Gate to the opening ceremonies of the 11th Olympiad in Berlin. Records
National Archives and
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May 1945, the Brandenburg Gate, located to the west of Berlin city centre, is surrounded by ruins and bears the scars of the final combats between the German army and the Soviet troops. (1945)
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The Hitler-Stalin Pact of 1939 (also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) contained a secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of interest. Astrīde Sīlis (1989)
Return of the Quadriga, without Prussian symbolism. (1958)8
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During the restoration process, Prussian militarism symbols were removed from the Quadriga, which remained that way until the German reunification in 1990, where it was permanently added back on. After the war, and the division of Berlin into the Communist East and Federal Republic West with the Berlin Wall on August 13th, 1961, the Gate was restricted access to both sides with concrete walls and barbed wires; it remained isolated for the next three decades. On December 22nd, 1989, the Berlin Wall was demolished and the Brandenburg Gate was opened back up for all. As a symbolic act of unity, Helmut Kohl, Chancellor of West Germany, walked under the gate to meet with Hans Modrow, Prime Minister of East Germany. After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gate, having been heavily damaged during the celebrations after overjoyed crowds climbed to the top, was restored. The Gate was unveiled on October 3rd of 2002, after two years of restoration work, to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the reunification.
The Brandenburg Gate serves as living proof that architecture can, and will be, evolutional in nature. It is also a testament to the dangers of misperception of iconography over time; what is a narrative of victory and triumph to some, can be entirely misinterpreted and radicalized. This relates heavily back to the course content, and the multifaceted nature of history and architecture. The Gate has survived multiple regimes, military conflict, changes in political stances, rise and fall of philosophies, giving a fascinating outlook on the complex global society. Throughout the Gate’s tumultuous history, it has stood for many things - peace, victory, militarism, nationalism, violence, and division; but in the end, it will ultimately stand for reunification. At least for now.
9 (page 14-15) Germany. 1946. During the Second World War Berlin’s entire centre and most of its industry were destroyed. At the end of the war civilians, especially women, set out to clear the rubble in order to rebuild the city. Politically Berlin was divided into four sec tions, administered by the four winners: France, Great Britain, the USA and the USSR.
Werner Bischof (1946) 10 (page 16) West Berlin. Brandenburg Gate. Evening of November 10th, 1989. Raymond Depardon, Magnum Photos (1989) 11 (page 16) West Berlin. Brandenburg Gate. Morning of November 11th, 1989. Raymond Depardon, Magnum Photos (1989) 12 (page 16) East Germany. Berlin. December 23rd, 1989. The Brandenburg gate. Rene Burri (1989) 13 (page 17) Germany. East Berlin. Brandenburg Gate. 31 December 1989. Guy Le Querrec (1989) 14 (page 17) New Years’ Eve. At about 9pm. East Berlin. Brandenburger gate. Guy Le Querrec (1989) 15 (page 17) Reunification. At midnight on the 3rd October 1990, Germany became “one” again. Tens of thousands flocked to the Brandenburg Gate to watch fireworks as thousands of police were deployed in the cities against left wing groups protesting the merge. Leonard Freed (1990) 16 (page 18-19) Residents from East and West Berlin gather together on the crest of the Wall at the Brandenburg Gate. Klaus Lehnartz (1989)
Phase 1: Material and Methodology Selection
The cut pieces were assembled using glue and syringes. 1/4 inch round basswood dowels were used as small columns and hot glued to the base of the side builidngs.
Phase 3: Modelling
Phase 2: ReferenceSourcingphotographs, drawings, and models were sourced on both online and printed materials. This process wasn’t very intense, as the Brandenburg Gate is well-documented over the centuries due to its national and international significance.
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I chose to use white museum board as a primary material in modelling the Brandenburg Gate. This is due to two reasons: one, the rougher surface of the museum board captures stone masonry qualities the best, and two, it is a relatively flexible material, which makes it easier to handle. I also chose to laser cut the individual pieces using Trotec Speedy 300/360, which is very efficient and accurate, and the char marks that is left on white museum board helps the model appear more natural and worn, adding to the quality.
Phase 4: Assembly
Methodology
The Gate was modelled in 3D on Rhino 6; it was then exploded into individual pieces and laid out in 2D. Drawings sourced from the previous step was a crucial part in this. Details were engraved at: 50 Power 6 30000SpeedHz Cut lines were laser cut at: 100 Power 5 30000SpeedHz
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