The Brandenburg Gate was constructed between 1788 and 1791 by Carl Gotthard Langhans and is Berlin's only existing town gate. It was closed off for almost 30 years by the Berlin Wall which skirted directly around it. From 1961-1989 the Brandenburg Gate was located in the no-man's land between East and West-Berlin and became a symbol of Berlin as a divided city. After the Second World War, the gate was the only building left on Pariser Platz apart from the remains of the former Academy of Arts. Today the former no-go area has been rebuilt as a representative square with office buildings, most of which are occupied by banks, plus the Adlon Hotel. The French Embassy and the Academy of Arts are nearing completion, meaning that the only gap yet to be filled is that reserved for the new American Embassy building on Ebertstrasse which is adjacent to the gate.
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