MUSEUM ISLAND, Berlin Cathedral

The Berliner Dom, or Berlin Cathedral, is the largest Protestant church in the city, with a long and troubled history.

As far back as the 15th century, there was already a small royal chapel here, next to the Royal Palace. In the 17th century, the chapel was extended, and became the first Calvinist cathedral in Germany; around 1750, a Baroque facade was added.

After the Lutheran and Calvinist congregations came together under the Evangelical Church of Prussia, on the wishes of William II, between 1894 and 1905, the previous structure was demolished and replaced with a Cathedral in Renaissance Revival style designed by the father and son architects, Julius and Otto Raschdorff.

The Cathedral unfortunately suffered severe damage as a result of the Second World War bombing raids, and the magnificent building you see today is the result of major restoration work that was completed in 1993.

The Cathedral now sits on its own, because the Royal Palace that used to stand next to it was also destroyed by bombing during the War and was later demolished by the East German government. It therefore now faces the Spree River on one side and the Lustgarten, or “pleasure garden” on the other.

Every architectural detail of this striking building is exquisitely decorated, offering the visitor the image of splendor and opulence that might be expected from a cathedral. ...