Sitting on top of the Brandenburg gate, the Berlin Quadriga was designed in 1793 as the symbol of victory, after Prussia
extricated itself from several conflicts at the end of the XVIII century, and emerged as a European great power.

The quadriga was seized by Napoleon during his occupation of Berlin in 1806, and taken to Paris. It was returned to Berlin
by fieldmarshal von Blücher in 1814. The olive wreath was then supplemented with an Iron Cross, a Prussian military medal.

The statue was severely damaged during the Second World War, and the association of the Iron Cross with Prussian militarism
convinced the Communist government of East Germany to remove this aspect of the statue after the war. The iron cross
was restored after German reunification in 1990

Source: Wikipedia