Alte Berliner Stadtmauer

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the medieval Berlin city wall enclosed the twin city of Berlin and Kölln. The original defenses consisted of ramparts, palisades, and ditches before a fieldstone wall was built starting around 1250. At first it stood two meters high and followed the course of the Spree, with the river itself serving as a natural boundary and not interrupted by a wall. Over the course of the 13th century, the fortifications were reinforced with bricks and raised to as much as five meters. For better defense, towers, arrow slits, and so-called Wieckhäuser (wall-mounted watch houses) were integrated. Later, in the 15th century, wide moats and an earthen rampart were added to the fortifications.

Today only a few physical remains of this historic structure can still be found. Fragments of the wall were preserved between Litten- and Waisenstraße because they served as boundary walls for residential buildings. This remnant was secured in 1948 and placed under landmark protection. The original wall had several gates, including the Spandau, Oderberg, and Stralau Gates on the Berlin side and the Köpenick and Gertraud Gates on the Kölln side. These medieval entrances disappeared over time, however, when the city wall was demolished in the 17th century and replaced by a new fortress complex with bastions.

The history of Berlin's city gates is closely tied to the steady growth of the metropolis. After the medieval walls were torn down, new fortress gates were built, which were later replaced in turn by the gates of the customs wall. These, too, were demolished in the late 19th century because suburbs were being incorporated into the city. Of the fourth generation of city gates, which were built in a monumental style, only the Brandenburg Gate survives today, while the route of the Stadtbahn (elevated city railway) and certain street names recall the earlier fortifications.