Berlin Cathedral

The Berlin Cathedral is the grand Protestant cathedral of the German capital, an ornate baroque-revival pile crowned by a great dome, standing beside Museum Island on the Spree. Rebuilt after wartime damage, its lavish interior, the imperial staircase, the royal crypt of the Prussian house and the climb up into the dome for a view over central Berlin make it one of the city's landmark churches.

Background

The cathedral began as a chapel of the Berlin Palace. It was consecrated in 1454 as the Catholic St. Erasmus Chapel, and that year Frederick Irontooth raised it to a parish church. The congregation was Catholic until 1539, then Lutheran, Reformed from 1632 and United from 1817. The first church building dates from 1451, the second from 1538 and the third from 1750. The present one went up from 1894 to 1905 on the orders of Emperor William II, to plans by Julius Raschdorff and his son Otto. It cost 11.5 million marks, is built of Silesian sandstone and is 74 metres wide. The Hohenzollern crypt fills almost the whole basement.

Source: Wikipedia, "Berlin Cathedral"

What's there

• The great dome - the climb up for a view over central Berlin.
• The lavish interior - the ornate nave and the great organ.
• The royal crypt - the tombs of the Prussian royal house.
• The setting - the cathedral beside Museum Island and the Lustgarten.

When to go

Year-round; a mostly indoor sight, with the dome walk best on a clear day. It is a working church, so it may close to visitors for services and concerts.

Things to know

It charges entry, unlike many German churches, and is a working church that closes for services. The dome climb is up many stairs. It is grand but a nineteenth-century rebuild, not an ancient cathedral, which some expect.

Nearby

Museum Island is alongside; Unter den Linden and the Nikolaiviertel are nearby.

Key facts