Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R77767/CC-BY-SA
As the GDR slowly began to lose its control over the people it had kept in strict order, the Berlin wall was slowly becoming more and more present. Eventually on November 9, 1989 the GDR permitted people to cross over the wall and into the east. the Wall had finally lost its power over it's people and the Brandenburg Gate was no longer cut off from its people.
User: Sue Ream/CC-BY-SA-3.0
Despite laying in dormancy, throughout much of the 20th century the Brandenburg Gate is seen throughout many of the important events that occurred in Europe during the cold war. it acted as a backdrop for some of the most monumental events of the cold war. It was there for the numerous speeches, demonstrations, and the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
In 1958, after a decade of ruin, there was an effort to restore the Brandenburg Gate. The Gate was located in east Berlin, the casts of the Quadriga were located in the western half of Berlin. This forced the two halves of the city to work together. It was agreed that the GDR would handle the reconstruction and restoration of the Gate while the FRG would handle the recasting of the Quadriga. When the time came for it to be all put back together the GDR would take care of the rest. The West recast the statue and even re-aged it to make it appear as though it was original, when the east went to put it back on, there was a change made to it. The iron cross and Prussian eagle were removed because the GDR claimed they were military symbols. So the partially restored gate sat until the fall of the GDR and was then fully restored and later opened to the public.
!961, shortly before the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Public Domain {{PD-1923}}
After WWII Berlin was split into four parts between the Allied powers. The Brandenburg Gate was unfortunate enough to land in the Soviet sector of Berlin. There was talk of completely destroying the gate due to its location and history, but it was preserved due to the fact it was originally a gate of peace.
User:Ddxc/CC-BY-SA-3.0
As the GDR and their Soviet conquerors held tight to the Brandenburg Gate, the public access was completely cut off with the construction of the Berlin Wall. This symbol that represented Germany and its people was now kept away from them. Ironic that a gate which was designed to let people in would be cut off. It is during this time period that the Gate meaning begins to alter again. The gate of victory soon would become a gate of unity.