Berlin Victory Column (Siegessäule)

Standing 67 meters (220 feet) high and topped with a 35-tonne gilded figure of Victoria – the Roman goddess of victory in battle – the Berlin Victory Column was inaugurated in 1873 to commemorate Germany’s (or Prussia, as it was called then) victory over Denmark in the Danish-Prussian War of 1864. Lovingly nicknamed ‘Golden Lizzie’ by Berlin locals, the sandstone memorial was designed by German architect Heinrich Strack and sits on a red granite base adorned with columns; it originally stood in Königsplatz, which is today’s Platz der Republik. In the run up to World War II, the column was moved to the center of the Tiergarten park as part of Hitler’s plan to rebuild Berlin as the grandiose capital city of the Third Reich. The viewing platform at 50 m (164 ft) gives panoramas over the gardens and down the Strasse des 17 Juni 31 to the landmark Brandenburg Gate – ironically today a symbol of Germany’s freedom from tyranny – but visitors have to climb 285 steps up a winding spiral staircase to get there.

Practical Info

Grosser Stern, 10557 Berlin. Open Apr–Oct Mon–Fri 9.30am–6.30pm; Sat–Sun 9.30am–7pm. Nov–Mar Mon–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat–Sun 10am–5.30pm. Admission adults €3; concessions €2.50. Walk down Strasse des 17 Juni 31 or take bus no. 100 from the Brandenburg Gate.