Report: Obama To Speak At Victory Column, Not Brandenburg Gate

According to German papers, Barack Obama will speak at Berlin's Victory Column instead of the Brandenburg Gate on his trip to Germany. Bloomberg reports on the Berliner Zeitung story:

A stage will be set up at the column, a 19th-century fluted structure that lies at the opposite end of a tree-lined boulevard from the Brandenburg Gate, the newspaper said. The campaign will announce the plans for July 24 today, it said.

An appearance at the Victory Column, capped by its trademark gilded angel, will still give the Illinois senator the Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop in the distance.

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While the Brandenburg Gate has come to symbolize Germany's division and reunification, the Victory Column celebrates Prussia's victories over Denmark, Austria and France in the late 19th century. More recently, the column and its angel were was featured in Wim Wenders's 1987 film ``Wings of Desire.''

Ben Smith references another report from the Welt Online.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed skepticism about an Obama speech about the Brandenburg Gate.