Introduction
Berlin, a city famous for being the capital of Germany, even through it’s separation with the Berlin Wall after the second world war, is also very well known for its many museums and its churches. Having survived the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, Berlin attracts many tourists from all over the world every year to see its many attractions, including some of its most famous churches, like the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, which was bombed during the second world war and a new tower has been built next to the remains of the old one. This booklet gives information on some of Berlin’s most famous churches.
Marienkirche
Marienkirche, or in English, St. Marys Church, is one of Berlin’s oldest churches having been built over 750 years ago. Marienkirche is a 14th Century protestant church. Construction on the church began in 1270, and was not completed until the early 14th century. It was designed as an early Gothic hall church and received the front tower in the 15th century, as well as a baroque dome in 1790. The Marienkirche became a Protestant church after the Reformation during the 16th century. During the second world war, the church got damaged but was later fully restored in 1950. Today, there are many artworks in the Marienkirche that were brought there after their former churches were destroyed. Some of what can be seen inside the Marienkirche includes “The Dance Of Death” a large fresco from the 15th century. Outside the church, there lies a statue of Martin Luther that was placed there for his 500th birthday in 1983.
Karl-‐Liebknecht-‐Straße 8 10178 Berlin Opening times – November – March daily 10:00 – 16:00 April – October daily 10:00 – 21:00 No visits allowed during services Services – Saturday 16:30 Sunday 10:30 and 18:30
Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche
The foundations for the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church were laid on March 22nd 1891, the birthday of Kaiser Wilhelm the first. It was completed and opened on September 1st, 1895 and is located at the center of former West Berlin. Built by Schwechten as a symbol of Prussian unity and to honor Kaiser Wilhelm I, the beautiful church was destroyed in air rapids in April 1945. In 1959, on the 9th of May, the foundations for a new, modern church were laid beside the ruins of the existing old church. There are differences between the old and new towers, the only one was 113 m tall before being destroyed, and now stands at only 68 m tall, with the new tower being even smaller at only 53 m. the church has 6 bells cast in bronze, with the largest one weighing around 5,600 kg. The chime in the old tower was composed by Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia and can be heard every hour on the hour. Inside the remains of the old church, there lies a memorial hall depicting the history of the church as well as objects from before the bombing. There are free guided tours lasting about 30 minutes. Breitscheidplatz, 10789 Berlin (Charlottenburg) Opening times -‐ Daily from 9:00 am -‐ 7:00 pm Services -‐ Sundays 10:00 am -‐ 6:00 pm How to reach us by public transport U Kurfürstendamm, U+S Zoologischer Garten, Bus M19, M29, M46, X9, X10, X34, 100, 109, 110, 145, 200, 204, 245
Berliner Dom The Berliner Dom, known as the Berlin Cathedral in English is a 15th Century cathedral that was built in 1465. It was built when St. Erasmus Chapel in Cologne was elevated to the stature of collegiate church. As everything was transferred to the new baroque church, the old Cathedral was torn down. In the early 19th century, plans for the new Cathedral began. It was to be built in the Lustgarten and ideas for this new Cathedral were brought forward between 1825 and 1828 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The Cathedral’s construction, however, was not begun until 1842 when a voluminous five-‐aisled basilica was started based on drawings by August Stüler. Construction had to be held back until 1948 because of builder hesitation, meaning by this time only the burial place was completed. On the 17th of June, 1894, the foundation was laid for the Cathedral. The central building is a baroque-‐influenced Italian structure which wasn’t completed until 11 years later when it was consecrated on the 27th of February 1905. During the second world war, the Cathedral got damaged in an air raid and all the altar windows were lost. In 1944, a liquid incendiary bomb hit the foot of the dome lantern, causing the Cathedral and the crypts below to go up in flames and be completely ruined. A new roof was built on the church as late as 1953 and until that time, services were held in the crypt area. Cathedral of Berlin, Am Lustgarten, 10178 Berlin (Mitte) Opening times – Monday through Saturday – 09:00 – 20:00 Sundays and Holidays – 12:00 – 20:00 Reach by public transport U-Bahn U2, U5, U8 Station: U-‐Bhf Alexanderplatz S-Bahn S5, S7, S9, S75 Station: S-‐Bhf Hackescher Markt Tram M4, M5, M6 Tram stop: Spandauer Strasse Bus 100, 200 Bus stop: Am Lustgarten.
St. Hedwigs Cathedral St. Hedwigs Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Berlin, Germany. The cathedral was built in the 18th century as the first Prussian Catholic church after the Reformation. Construction on the cathedral began in 1747, and after being interrupted and delayed many times, it was finally completed in 1773. It was consecrated in 1773. King Frederick II, who gave permission for the cathedral to be built, gave this permission with the intention to offer many Catholic immigrants arriving in Berlin a place of worship. The building was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. The bodies of Alfred Bengsch and Bernhard Lichtenberg lay in the crypt below. In 1943, during air raids on Berlin, the entire cathedral was burnt down. It was reconstructed from 1952 up until 1963.
Behrenstrasse 39, 10117 Berlin. Opening hours – Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 17:00 Sunday and public holidays 13:00 – 17:00 Reach by public transport Train station – S+U Friedrichstrasse Bhf S1, S2, S25, S3, S5, S7, S75. Underground U Franzöische Strasse – U6 S+U Friedrichstrasse Bhf: U6 Bus Staatsoper – 100, 200, TXL Lustgarten – 100, 200