Victory column on the Große Stern in Berlin

The victory column (“Siegessäule”) in Berlin is located on the main square in the district Tiergarten, the “Großer Stern” – the great star square. It was built according to a design by Heinrich Strack and is now under monumental protection.

The victory column was built as a memento of the victories of Prussia in the German-Danish War in 1864, in the German War in 1866 against Austria and in the Franco-German War in 1870-71.
The inauguration was in 1873 on the original site the Königsplatz (today’s Square of the Republic). It was not until 1938/39 that the building was moved to the Großer Stern.

Victory column on the Große Stern in Berlin - Siegessäule

To get to the victory column you should not cross the heavy traffic of the Großer Stern. There are several pedestrian tunnels that lead to the central square. These tunnels can be reached via 4 gate houses, which are on the edges of the square. The tunnels are well lit and friendly, sometimes a musician uses the acoustics and plays his music.

The victory column has a total height of 66.89 meters. A lookout platform is located at the height of 50.66 meters. Anyone who wants to use this platform should be physically fit for over 285 steps one needs to climb to have a really great view over the Great Tiergarten, the Potsdamer Platz, the Brandenburg Gate and the neighbouring city areas.

The column carries the bronze sculpture of Victoria. It is 8.30 m high and weighs about 35 tonnes. In the Berlin vernacular, this figure is called Goldelse, a name it got because of its gold plating.

The all-round relief band is particularly beautiful. It consists of 4 bronze depictions of the unification wars and the troop deployment in Berlin.

The base is made of red granite. A small door leads into the inside of the column. Here, next to the entrance, there is also an exhibition room and the ascent to the column.