The Victory column is a 67 metre high monument that's located in the middle of the Tiergarten's main roundabout and only 4km from central Berlin. We hadn't planned on visiting the column as we knew nothing about it but stumbled upon it while walking from our hotel to central Berlin, so we decided to check it out. The structure dominates the landscape as it sits in an area of parkland with roads and trees all around.
It was unveiled on 2nd September 1873 by emperor Wilhelm and was to commemorate the victory of Prussia in the wars of unification, also known as the Franco-German war.
Crowned with an 8.3m tall statue of the Goddess of Victory and designed by Friedrich Drake. It was originally located in front of the Reichstag but was moved in 1938 by the Nazis.
Access to the monument is easy though it does involve stairs as it is located in the middle of a roundabout. There is a tunnel network that has several entrance points located around the area. We didn't notice any lifts access, so it may be difficult for some people to visit, and to climb the tower itself involves going up over 280 steps - we were exhausted after the climb, but the view was worth it.
Once you've climbed up the stairs to the first level, you can take a look around where the bottom section is decorated in many different colourful pictures depicting scenes from the past. While visiting, we learned that former US president Barrack Obama had used the site to give a speech on foreign policy to a crowd of about 200,000 before becoming president.
Inside on the bottom level, several rooms give you information on the history of the column and provides details of different similar structures around the world.
Our visit here took less than two hours and made for an enjoyable little side trip while walking through the park on our way to the city centre.
