Erected between 1864 and 1873, the Victory Column or Siegesäule in German it is the symbol of the unification of the country at the end of the 19th century. It was originally commissioned to celebrate the victory of the Kingdom of Prussia over Denmark in 1864. However, due to Prussian militarism and the effectiveness of its army, the column ended up commemorating the victory in two subsequent wars, the one waged against the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1869 and finally the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.
Although today the column is located in the so-called Großer Stern (big star) in the center of the Tiergarten park, its first location was the old Kaiserplatz, today Platz der Republik, just in front of the Reichstag.
The column initially had 3 drums wrapped in golden cannons stolen from the enemies in each of the three wars it commemorated. However, today it has a fourth drum, surrounded by oak leaves, added in 1938 after the Anschluss or annexation of Austria. According to the Nazis, all the German people were thus reunited under the government of Hitler's Third Reich.
How to get to the Victory Column
The Victory Column is located in the middle of the Tiergarten park, at the large roundabout called Großer Stern. The most direct way to get there are bus lines 100, 106 or 187. You can check the routes to get there at this LINK.
Opening hours
Access to the base of the column is completely free as it is located in the middle of the park. If we want to climb the 285 steps to the platform above 52 meters we must pay an entrance fee of €3 (€2.5 students)
April – October:Mon-Fri 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Sat-Sun 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
November – March:Mon-Sun 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Visit the Victory Column
To get to the base of the column it is necessary to cross one of the four underground passageways that take us to the monument. The small temples at the entrance to these passageways are the work of the architect Albert Speer, a personal friend of Hitler and Reich Minister of Armaments from 1942 until the end of the war.
The Victory Column has a large esplanade around the base that is freely accessible. From there you can see the realistic reliefs that describe the different victories of the kingdom of Prussia.
If we access the column, we can stop at two viewpoints. The first, at a low height above ground level, features mosaics with German nationalist images. If we go up to the upper platform, we can enjoy a spectacular view over the Tiergarten and the center of Berlin.
