The Tiergarten view
The green Tiergarten stretching below in every direction — a view you get from nowhere else.
Zonk43 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Unknown authorUnknown author — Public domain · BugWarp — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Leonhard Lenz — CC0
The Victory Column is a tall stone column in the middle of the Tiergarten park, topped by a winged gilded statue Berliners call the "Golden Lizzy". It was raised in 1873 to celebrate Prussian military victories; the Nazis then moved it from its original position to where it stands now in the 1930s, and made it taller. You can climb it inside by a narrow spiral stair of over two hundred steps, and from the top comes a view you get nowhere else: the whole green Tiergarten below you, and the Brandenburg Gate at the end of the straight avenue ahead. The ticket is very cheap against any other viewpoint in Berlin.
The green Tiergarten stretching below in every direction — a view you get from nowhere else.
A long straight road ending at the gate — the view down it is one of Berlin's classic images.
The gilded winged figure on top, familiar from many films and pictures of Berlin.
Großer Stern, 10557 Berlin
Bellevue PalaceBellevue Palace is a white neoclassical building in the Tiergarten park, and the5 minutes walk4.4
Berlin Zoological GardenBerlin's zoo is the oldest in Germany, opened in 1844 with animals the king gave14 minutes walk4.6
German Resistance Memorial CenterThe German Resistance Memorial Center occupies the Bendlerblock — formerly the G14 minutes walk4.5
TiergartenThe Tiergarten is Berlin's great lung: a 210-hectare urban forest at the capital14 minutes walk4.7
Berlin AquariumThe Berlin Aquarium is a historic three-storey building attached to the zoo, ope15 minutes walk4.6The stair is spiral, narrow and more than 280 steps, with no lift. It needs moderate fitness and can be uncomfortable if you dislike tight spaces. Anyone who would rather not climb can see the column from the park for nothing.
The column stands in a large roundabout you cannot cross on foot at street level. Use the pedestrian tunnels underneath, which are clearly signposted. The nearest station is Bellevue, or take a bus to the roundabout.
Before sunset: warm light over the park, and you watch the city light up. Avoid midday in summer — the stair is hot and narrow and the crowds heavier.