It happened sixteen years ago

German Reunification

This is one historic event that I remember happening during my lifetime.

From the Deutsche Welle:

"A symbol of the German division before the Wall fell and since then a metaphor for German unity -- Berlin's Brandenburg Gate is one of the most politically-charged pieces of architecture in the country.

A gate has existed on the site since 1658, which was then part of the city wall and would become part of the Berlin wall more than 300 years later. At the end of the 18th century, Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm II commissioned architect Carl Gotthard Langhans, a master of early Classical design, to draw up a structure worthy of finishing off the row of architectural feats lining Unter den Linden. Johannes Gottfriend Schadow's sculpture of the winged god of peace Eirene was added above the gate in 1793, two years after its completion.

Eirene watched as the gate became a place for parades and demonstrations. Napoleon's troops marched through the gate, Prussians troops celebrated their victories there, Hitler sent the SA through the gate when he came to power in 1933. In 1945, the Brandenburg Gate become the border between the British and Soviet sectors. "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate!" demanded US President Reagan as he stood before it in 1987. Since the euro was introduced in 2002, the Brandenburg Gate, now a symbol of German unity, can be found on the backside of the German 10-, 20- and 50-cent coins."