July 24, 2008: An estimated 100,000 people attended a speech by Barack Obama at Berlin's Victory Column.The Guardian: Obama Warms to Merkel over Climate Change (July 24, 2008) Obama had originally wanted to give the speech from the Brandenburg Gate, but the location was changed after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she disapproved of the idea.The New York Times: Obama to speak at Berlin's Victory Column (July 20, 2008)
Location Controversy
Der Spiegel reported that Angela Merkel's administration felt Obama's speech might turn the Brandenburg Gate into "a backdrop for political campaigning."Der Spiegel: German Politicians Are in an Obama Tizzy (July 9, 2008) However, the new locale, at the city's Victory Column, brings its own controversy. The column is associated with both past German military victories and the regime of Adolf Hitler, who moved the column to its present location in 1939.Spiegel Online: Is Obama Speech Site Contaminated by Nazi Past? (July 20, 2008)
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Obama expected to speak about U.S. and German partnership and strengthening trans-Atlantic relationsThe New York Times: Obama to speak at Berlin's Victory Column (July 20, 2008)
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Obama scrapped plans to speak at the Brandenburg Gate, saying it would be "too presumptuous"Bloomberg.com: Obama Picks Site of Berlin Speech After Brandenburg... (July 20, 2008)
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