Description

Essentials about the Berlin Cathedral in brief

Monumental with its dome visible from afar, flanked by four towers, the Berlin Cathedral rises in the heart of the city. Located on the northern part of the Spree Island (also called Museum Island), the Berlin Cathedral is both the largest church in Berlin and the largest Protestant church in all of Germany.

The history and architecture of the Berlin Cathedral

Already since the 15th century, predecessor buildings stood on the site of today’s cathedral, which served as court churches of the nearby Berlin Stadtschloss (City Palace). At the beginning of the 19th century, Berlin’s most important architect Schinkel transformed the existing cathedral into a simple classicist building. At the turn of the century, however, Emperor Frederick William II decided that the rather modest Schinkel Cathedral no longer met the representative demands of the monarchy, so a new building was commissioned that was to be larger, more magnificent and more lavishly decorated – Berlin’s answer, so to speak, to St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

The cathedral, which was finally built between 1894 and 1905 in the style of the Italian High Renaissance and the Baroque, is today one of the most important Protestant church buildings in Germany. The ground plan of the cathedral is approximately square and provides for rooms with different uses. Mainly, the cathedral is used for church services, which are held in the large, central sermon church under the dome or in the smaller baptismal and wedding church.

The interior of the Berlin Cathedral

The interior of the church also reflects the opulent taste of the late 19th century: a magnificent mix of different style periods with ornamental mosaics, gold and statues adorns the octagonal church interior. Also worth seeing is the Hohenzollern Crypt with its approximately 100 coffins from four centuries. And those who climb the 270 steps to the dome of the cathedral are rewarded with a fabulous panoramic view of Berlin’s center.

Website

berlinerdom.de

Opening hours

Admission fees

Adults: €7.00

Concessions: €5.00

Admission entitles the holder to take up to three children under the age of 18 with them. The admission fee also includes participation in the 20-minute cathedral tour.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

U2, U5 and U8: Stop Alexanderplatz

S3, S5, S7, and S9: Stop Hackescher Markt

Tram lines 12, M1, M4, M5, M6 and M8: Stop Spandauer Straße/Marienkirche

Bus lines 100, 200, 245, N2, N5, N40, N42 and N65: Stop Spandauer Straße/Marienkirche

Bus lines 100, 245 and 300: Stop Am Lustgarten

By car:

The closest parking garage is Parkhaus des Domaquarées.