Siegessäule, Victory column in Tiergarten, Germany
Siegessäule is a 67-meter monument in Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany, crowned by a gilded bronze figure of Victoria standing on a column of granite and Obernkirchen sandstone. The red granite base features mosaic decorations and supports a viewing platform beneath the statue.
Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to mark Prussia's victory over Denmark, the column was inaugurated on 2 September 1873 on Königsplatz, now Platz der Republik. In 1938–1939 the Nazis moved it to the Großer Stern and added a fourth drum, raising it to 66.89 metres. It survived the Battle of Berlin in 1945 largely intact.
Local residents call the gilded Victoria figure Goldelse, blending reverence with everyday warmth. The circular traffic island around the base serves as a meeting point where cyclists and pedestrians cross paths.
The climb involves 285 steps leading to an observation deck offering views over surrounding parkland and residential areas. Access requires an underground passage from the roadside since the structure stands on a traffic island.
The gilded gun barrels set into the column's fluting are trophies: 20 twelve-pounders from the Danish victory, 8 eight-pounders from the Austrian, and 4 four-pounders from the French. When the column was moved in 1938–39, a fourth drum was added and each barrel row shifted down one level.
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