The cathedral among the churches of Berlin is one of the most beautiful. Majestic and monumental. It is worth it to go inside. The decoration of the temple and its organ make a strong impression. If you wish, you can climb to the observation deck.
Berlin Cathedral - former courthouse of the Hohenzollern dynasty, photo Dnsob
Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) - a monumental building with five green domes in the middle of the Museum Island. This is the largest Protestant church in the country, the resting place of the royal dynasty.
A bit of history
The temple was built in 1894-1905. by decree of Kaiser Wilhelm II on the site of the former neoclassical church, which the ruler did not like, because was not grand enough. The architect Julius Rashdorf created the design of a new building with elements of Baroque and Italian High Renaissance, taking St. Peter's Vatican Cathedral as a model.
Cathedral in 1945
The initial height of the building was 114 m. During the war, the cathedral was destroyed, lost all the domes. After the restoration, it became 16 meters lower, lost many elements of the decor and stood in this state for more than half a century. Reconstruction took place in 1975-93. And now the magnificent temple is one of the main attractions of Berlin.
The exterior of the Cathedral
Berlin Cathedral in night illumination, photo by Ansgar Koreng
The cathedral is made of Silesian stone; its main facade faces the Lustgarten park. The arched portal is framed by powerful granite columns, between them bronze statues of the evangelists - Matthew, Mark, John, Luke. At the edges of the arch, figures of angels leaned over the gates - a picturesque fresco depicting Christ.
Interior decoration
The interior of the temple, photo by Elemaki
Inside the cathedral is rich decoration uncharacteristic of Protestant churches: marble columns, a carved pulpit, realistic colorful stained glass windows with scenes of the New Testament. A staircase leads to the gilded central altar. The altar partition is decorated with figures of the apostles by Frederic Stuller, the throne is made of marble and onyx. The half-domes above the side apses are decorated with the polychrome mosaics of Voldemar Friedrich. The dome vault is painted with plots of the Sermon on the Mount.
Organ
Organ, photo by Christian Eckhardt
The original organ of 7269 pipes, created in 1903 by Wilhelm Sauer, restored in 1993, has been preserved. The exterior design of the instrument was designed by Otto Rashdorf, the son of the chief architect. Germany's largest church organ is mounted on marble pillars.
Crypt of the Hohenzollern Dynasty
In the crypt of the temple is the family crypt of the Hohenzollern. Seventy representatives of the clan were found here.
View of the Cathedral from the Spree River, photo by Kaban Pyatak
Observation deck
Under the dome of the Berliner Dom, an observation deck is equipped to climb to it, you need to overcome 270 steps. The views of the Under Linden boulevard and the impressive panorama of Berlin are opened from above.
Lustgarten
Lustgarten - Berliners favorite vacation spot, photo by dinnouti
In front of the church is the Lustgarten park (Lustgarten - "comfort park"), this is all that remains of the now defunct City Palace. In the center of the park there is a fountain, which is surrounded by manicured lawns.
Church Hours
Mon-Sat 09:00 - 20:00,
Sun and holidays 12:00 - 20:00.
From October 1 to March 31, the cathedral is open until 19:00.
Ticket price
A full ticket costs € 7,
for students and schoolchildren - € 5.
There is an audio guide in Russian.
How to get there
Take the metro lines U2, U5, U8,
electric train S5, S7, S75,
Tram M4, M5, M6,
Bus 248, 100, 200, M4, M48, N5, N65, TXL to the Alexanderplatz stop.
