Arch of Hadrian history

The Arch of Hadrian is a large gateway that in some ways resembles a Roman triumphal arch.

It spanned an ancient road from the centre of Athens, Greece, to the complex of structures on the eastern side of the city including the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

The construction of the Arch of Hadrian is believed to have been started in 131 BC to celebrate the arrival of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and to thank him for his benefactions for the city.

Since Hadrian had become an Athenian citizen nearly two decades before the monument was built, Kouremenos has argued that the inscriptions on the arch honour him as an Athenian rather than as the Roman emperor.

It is not known exactly who built this arch, though it is probable that it was the Athenians. Symbolically the location of the arch was to mark the line between the ancient part of Athens and Hadrian’s new city.

There were two inscriptions on the arch, facing in opposite directions, naming both Theseus and Hadrian as founders of Athens. While it is clear that the inscriptions honour Hadrian, it is uncertain whether they refer to the city as a whole or to the city in two parts, one old and one new. The early idea, however, that the arch marked the line of the ancient city wall, and thus the division between the old and the new regions of the city, has been revealed to be unlikely by further excavation.

At the time that it was recorded architecturally by Stuart and Revett in the mid-18th century, the base of the arch was buried to the level of around three feet. Given that it was not protected for around nineteen centuries of existence, the arch entered the modern era in extraordinary condition. Although the columns of the lower level are missing, the arch is preserved to its full height and towers over modern Amalias Avenue.

Arch of Hadrian today

In recent decades, atmospheric pollution has damaged the monument. There is extensive discoloration of the stone and degradation of the inscriptions.

The main structure of the Arch remains and it now stands on the edge of one of Athens’ busiest avenues.

Getting to the Arch of Hadrian

The arch is accessible by public transport including bus and tram. The nearest metro stations are Akropoli and Neos Kosmos.

Arch of La Estrella history

The Arco de la Estrella is the main gate to Old Town Cáceres. It joins the Main Plaza with the Plaza de Santa María, which both have been epicentres of the old and new city for centuries.

It is considered the most important gate of the Old Town, since it was the place chosen by the catholic Queen Isabella I of Castile to swear in the Fueros (rights) and privileges in 1477. It was also where King

Ferdinand II of Aragon “The Catholic” swore in the Fueros to the city in 1479. When the entrance to the old part of Cáceres from Plaza Mayor was carved out of the wall it was called Puerta Nueva.

The 15th century arch was remodeled in 1726 by Manuel de Larra Churriguera. This shaped the entrance into a low and wide-angled arch so that the carriages could easily pass through to the Old Town.

In the upper part, there is a temple with a statue of the Virgin of the Star, which gives the arch its name. Travellers would confide in this icon when they left the city, and they thanked her for their safe return.

The Arch of La Estrella stands out for having had all kinds of historical figures of the time pass through it as well as featuring some very interesting architectural elements. The arch has the coat of arms of Cáceres on its upper part. It also features an image of Nuestra Señora de la Estrella, which it was named after.

Arch of La Estrella today

This area and the area around it have an atmosphere of historic grandeur. This setting was used as a filming location in Game of Thrones season 7.

Getting to the Arch of La Estrella

The Arch of La Estrella is located centrally in Cáceres. Through the arch is the historic Old Town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Brandenburg Gate history

The Brandenburg Gate was designed by Karl Gotthard Langhans and built in a Romanesque style similar to the Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens, with six Doric columns on each side.

Whilst King Frederick William II intended the Brandenburg Gate to be a symbol of peace, different peoples have attached numerous meanings to it throughout its history.

In 1793, the gate was crowned by the Quadriga statue, designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow. This statue itself has an intriguing history. In 1806, when Napoleon’s army took Berlin, the French Emperor had the Quadriga transported to Paris as spoils of war and a sign of his victory. In 1814, after Napoleon’s forced abdication, the Quadriga was returned to Berlin where it once again adorned the Brandenburg Gate,  facing towards the east and the city centre.

The Nazis adopted the Brandenburg Gate as a symbol of their party during their reign in the 1930’s and 1940’s and it was also a potent reminder of the Cold War when it fell into the no-man’s land within the Berlin Wall.

From 1961 to 1989 the Brandenburg Gate came to symbolize divided Germany, as the Berlin Wall shut off access to the gate for both East and West Germans. During this time, the Brandenburg Gate formed a focal point of many politically charged rallies and speeches, including visits by American Presidents John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. It served as the backdrop for Reagan’s famous 1987 speech in which he entreated the Soviet leader, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

The gate was reopened on December 22, 1989, in the course of the reunification of East and West Berlin, when West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl walked through it to meet East German Prime Minister Hans Modrow. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall , the Brandenburg gate became a symbol of German reunification.

Brandenburg Gate today

Today, visitors from around the world come to see the Brandenburg Gate and its ornate carvings, including its dramatic depiction of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, driving a horse drawn chariot.

Getting to Brandenburg Gate

The site is easily accessible by public transport. The nearest S-Bahn train and underground station is Brandenburger Tor. Bus lines 100, N5, 300 and 147 also stop nearby.

Burgtor history

The Hanseatic League was a defensive and commercial group of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe, stemming from a few German towns in the early 12th century. The League dominated the Baltic maritime trade and coasts of North Europe. The Hanseatic City of Lübeck in northern Germany became a port for colonists leaving for Baltic territories around 1200. Therefore, the city grew in import and size, becoming the most powerful member of the medieval trade organisation.

To reflect Lübeck’s commerical prestige, the Burgtor was built in 1444 in the late Gothic style, becoming the northernmost of the gates within the city’s fortifications. The gate was built in place of a Romanesque gate, set between adjoining stables and the customs office.

During the 19th century, the city considered destroying the gate for commercial building, but the proposal was denied by the citizenry, and ultimately the gate was widened to include four passages. In 1912, Ida Boy-Ed, a German writer, was awarded lifelong rights to live in the Burgtor for her services to Lübeck.

After her death in 1928, museum director Carl Georg Heise lived there until he was dismissed by the Nazis in 1933, at which point, the tower was left to hand weaving and embroidery by master Alen Muller-Hellwig to live and work from. Her last trainee used the workshop until she died in 2016.

Burgtor today

With views of the river Trave and harbour, the UNESCO listed Burgtor is a great place to stop and appreciate the city’s medieval history. On site, there is a model display explaining the historical significance of the building.

There are also two memorial plaques on the Burgtor to take note of: the first commemorates the French invasion of Lübeck through the gate in 1806; the second is for Carl Hans Lody, a German World War One spy executed in London, which unfortunately became the occasional site of neo-Nazi events, now prohibited in the area.

Getting to Burgtor

The Burgtor is an 18 minute walk from Lübeck Central Station, and the number 11 bus will take you directly to the gate.

Today, Holstentor is one of a long list of buildings included as part of the UNESCO Hanseatic City of Lubeck site. Looking like it has come straight out of a fairytale, inside this medieval gem is the city museum of Lübeck.

Holstentor history

In medieval times, Lübeck was one of the member-cities of the Hanseatic League, an important merchant bloc which dominated trade in the North and Baltic Seas. This status meant the rich city of Lübeck felt the need to protect themselves with strong fortifications.

What remains of the middle of increasingly strengthened gates is now known as Holstentor. The history of Holstentor is therefore that of 4 consecutive gates. In the 15th century, the entire gate construction was felt inadequate. Guns and canons had made the earlier fortifications seem useless, so funding was found and the city’s architect, Hinrich Helmstede, began construction in 1464.

Completed in 1478, the Holstentor was built on top of a hill raised to 7 metres. However, the south tower soon began to sag in the marshy ground. As a result, in the early 19th century the outer and inner gates were removed, leaving only the Middle Holsten Gate.

Lübeck’s citizenry petitioned to keep the final gate at a time when there was every-growing resistance to destroying old buildings and by the time the gate was restored in 1871, Holstentor was seen as as a symbol of a proud past. Unfortunately, this belief was shared by the Nazis, who turned Holstentor into a museum called ‘The Hall of Honor and Glory’ according to their ideology.

Holstentor today

Today, the Nazi museum is long gone. Visitors approaching Holstentor will notice from the field-side there are few windows – incase of attack – underneath the imposing twin towers. Those approaching from the city-side are faced with a more intricately designed and windowed wall.

Inside, the museum now hosts an exhibition called ‘The Power of Trade’, tracing Lubeck’s Hanseatic history in Northern Europe. You can view the museum between 11am and 5pm each day of the week.

Getting to Holstentor

Holstentor is easily found on foot, on a road and within a park of the same name. Buses 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 21, 30, 31, 32, 39 and 40 all stop along Holstentorplatz, just seconds walk from the gate, and there is a parkplatz for cars just off the street on Wallstraße.

Monnow Bridge history

Monmouth was a significant Roman settlement, the site of Blestium border fort and a centre for ironwork. While the Romans may have built a bridge over the River Wye it was not until the Norman invasion that the Monnow had a permanent crossing. Norman lord William FitzOsbern built a castle nearby where the rivers met around 1070.

In the 12th century a wooden bridge was constructed – discovered during archaeological work in the 1980s – from trees cut down between 1123 and 1169. This bridge was possibly damaged during the 1233 Battle of Monmouth between supporters Henry II and Richard Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. Although the specific site of the battle is debated among historians.

Monnow’s stone bridge was completed around the late 13th century in a period of increased bridge-building as international trade began to flourish. The gatehouse atop the bridge, known as Monnow Gate, was constructed shortly after the bridge in the late 13th or early 14th century. The gatehouse was the result of a medieval tax or ‘murage’ raised by Edward I to provide funds to fortify Monmouth for his nephew, Henry of Lancaster.

The arch gate formed part of the city walls and as such was built with machicolations: defensive balconies with open floors that allowed defenders to drop stones on attackers. The gate’s second purpose was to collect tolls from those going to market.

During the English Civil War the town changes hands between the Royalists and Parliamentarian forces and by 1705 the bridge and gatehouse were in need of repair. The building turned into a dwelling while retaining its commercial role in monitoring trade. By the 19th century, the gatehouse had been abandoned and has remained largely unchanged since 1832 when the gatehouse roof was reconstructed.

Monnow Bridge today

Today, Monnow Bridge and its gatehouse are owned by Monmouthshire Council Council. The bridge is open to public access 1 day a week, allowing you to walk underneath the gatehouse and over the 35 metre-long medieval bridge that traces back to Monmouth’s Roman history.

As you do so, you will notice that the bridge is made of different types of stone – 7 in total. Also note the arrow slits in the gatehouse tower, testifying to the bridge’s purpose as fortification.

Getting to Monnow Bridge

Monnow Bridge is located just off the A40, a 45 minute drive north via the A449 from Cardiff. There is nearby car parking at Rockfield Road Carpark, a 5 minute walk from the bridge turning left at the roundabouts.

History of Pile Gate

Visiting the city of Dubrovnik wouldn’t be complete without seeing its famous Pile Gate. Built in 1537, visitors can can cross the grand drawbridge and imagine the throngs of people who have gone before them in the 500 years of its existence.

The gate is the main entrance to Dubrovnik’s medieval Old Town. Originally, the drawbridge was wooden and used to be pulled up at night to deter unwanted visitors from the walled city. Since replaced by stone, a figure of Dubrovnik’s patron saint St. Blaise, which was built by leading Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic (1883-1962), looks down at those who pass beneath the archway.

Mechanical counter weights used to raise and lower the drawbridge are still visible on the left and right of the gate, as are imposing cannons above on the city walls.  

Pile Gate Today 

The days of ceremoniously pulling up the drawbridge at night are now gone, and the gate is always open and free for visitors to enjoy.

Pedestrians who cross the drawbridge today will see the grassy former moat beneath them before passing through the first door. Immediately through the first door of the gate is a plaque that describes all of the damage done to the city during the recent Homeland War, which was fought between 1991-1995.

After walking down a short flight of steps, visitors will find themselves on Dubrovnik’s most famous street, Stradun or Placa, which is the town’s beautiful main promenade.

From here, there is the option to turn left and enjoy a city wall walk or the small Saint Blaise church, or right, where Onophrian’s Fountain proudly stands. Eagle-eyed visitors will spot a small indentation in the street, which is purported to bring bad romantic luck upon those who walk in it.

The Gate is a popular filming location, with many recognising it from HBO’s internationally famous TV series Game of Thrones.

From Pile Gate you can also enjoy views over a nearby small fishing harbour, and two further forts Bokar and Lovrijenac.

Getting to Pile Gate

Pile Gate is a half an hour walk from the historic centre of Dubrovnik. Equally, visitors can reach it within 5 minutes by car from the same place.

It is advised to visit the gate very early in the morning during the height of summer, as thousands of cruise ship passengers descend upon it later in the day.

There is disabled access through the gate.

Ploce Gate history

Ploce Gate is the main entrance to Old Town Dubrovnik from the eastern side. It is connected to a stone bridge and features a statue of Sveti Vlaho, the patron saint of Dubrovnik.

The Revelin Fortress was built into the outer section of the Gate and served as a useful lookout point for the town’s eastern approach. There used to be a rivalry between Dubrovnik and neighbouring towns such as Genoa and Ancona who competed for trade.

The Old Town Walls are one of the most prominent features of Dubrovnik. The walls surround the part of the city that makes up the Old Town. Before the 13th century, the entirety of Old Town was divided into 2 settlements by a marsh. The situation changed and formed the Dubrovnik Republic, an ongoing dream until the French occupation of 1806-1808. The walls were constructed between the 14th and 15th centuries.

The Outer Gate of Ploče was designed and constructed by architect Mihajlo Hranjac in 1628, while the two bridges to the Revelin Fortress were built in the 15th century by Paskoje Miličević. Miličević also designed the Pile Gate bridges.

The inner section of the Ploce gate was previously called The Gate of Saint Luka. Doors of the inner section are quite small and made in Roman fashion.

Ploce Gate today

The walled city of Dubrovnik is one of the most famous tourist attractions and Ploce Gate sees tourists throughout the year. The UNESCO world heritage city of Dubrovnik also is a favorite location for filmmakers. This area’s historical architecture and atmosphere have inspired many storytellers. This location has featured in several high-profile film projects, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi and HBO’s popular series Game of Thrones. Ploce Gate featured in Game of Thrones season 5.

Getting to Place Gate

Ploce Gate is in the southeast corner of the walled city and is easily accessible by public transport, located on Dubrovnik Bus Line 8.

Porta Nigra history

Originally constructed of large blocks of light sandstone, the darkening of its appearance by the Middle Ages led to it being called Porta Nigra, with its original name unknown.

By the mid-second century AD, Trier – then known as the Roman city of Augusta Treverorum – was fortified by a vast defensive wall. Porta Nigra is thought to have been constructed in the latter half of the second century, perhaps completed in 200 AD, and would have been one of four city gates.

It is thought that the hermit monk Simeon lived in Porta Nigra’s east town sometime in the 11th century, an event commemorated by the building of the adjacent monastery in his name – Simeonstift. Simeon’s residence in the gate saved it from major destruction and it was soon incorporated into a church, partially accounting for its excellent state of preservation.

When Napoleon saw Porta Nigra in 1804, he demanded that it be restored to its original state as it would have looked in Roman Trier.

Porta Nigra today

Today, Porta Nigra still bears the marks of its medieval conversions but it is still clearly an Ancient Roman creation. Inside, there are various Roman and medieval remnants. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Trier.

Getting to Porta Nigra

The site is easy to find as it is in the heart of trier and is within walking distance of other tourists attractions. The nearest train station is Trier, Christophstr.

Puerta del Sol Toledo History

The city of Toledo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 because of its extensive monumental and cultural heritage. Forming a part of this heritage is the Puerta del Sol Toledo, one of many gates which surround the city, which was built in the late 13th and early 14th centuries by Catholic military order the Knights Hospitaller.

Puerta del Sol Toledo is built in a traditional Mudejar style that was commonplace during Spain’s Moorish era. The gateway is rectangular with a semi-circular top, and the arch entry is horseshoe shaped and is flanked by two towers. The medallion above the gate’s arch depicts Toledo’s patron saint Ildephonsus being ordained whilst placing his cassock under the sun and moon.

The gate is named because of Ildephonsus as well as its Eastern orientation, towards where the sun rises. A sun and a moon were also once painted on either side of the medallion.

Fascinatingly, there are the remains of a Paleochristian sarcophagus from the 4th century in the middle of the blind arches.

Puerta del Sol Toledo Today

Though the entrance is still there, the gate no longer remains. Visitors today can enjoy the detailed architecture and historic heritage of the gate alongside other famous monuments within the city.

Most notably, Toledo is known for the masterpieces by El Greco which are both riddled throughout the city and exhibited in the El Greco Museum. Being such a short drive from Madrid, the city is well worth a visit.

Getting to Puerta del Sol Toledo

The beautiful and historic city of Toledo is a 45 minute drive from Madrid, primarily along the A-42. Within the city itself, the gate is a 7 minute walk from the centre, and can also be reached in about the same time by car.

Visiting the gate is always free of charge.