Victory Column (Siegessäule)

The Victory Column, or Siegessäule, stands at the Großer Stern roundabout in the middle of Tiergarten, a 67-metre sandstone and granite column erected in 1873 to commemorate Prussian victories in wars against Denmark, Austria, and France, and later moved from its original position near the Reichstag to its current location under the Nazi government's urban redesign in 1938. Visitors climb 285 spiral steps inside the column to reach an observation platform beneath the golden statue of Victoria, popularly nicknamed Goldelse, from which the four straight avenues radiating out through Tiergarten toward the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, and the city center are clearly visible. The column's base is decorated with bronze relief panels and a mosaic frieze depicting scenes from the Prussian wars and the 1871 unification of Germany. A visit including the climb and time on the platform takes 30 to 45 minutes, though reaching the column itself requires using a pedestrian underpass since the roundabout carries heavy traffic on all sides. Clear days offer the best visibility for the panoramic views, and summer evenings extend the opening hours into golden hour light over the park. The column gained international attention in 2008 when then-candidate Barack Obama delivered a campaign speech to roughly 200,000 people gathered on the surrounding lawns.