Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)

Berlin Cathedral, the Berliner Dom, faces the Lustgarten on Museum Island in the Mitte district of Berlin, close to the rebuilt Berlin Palace (Humboldt Forum). Its full name is the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church. Museum Island, including the cathedral's setting, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A church has stood on or near the site since the fifteenth century, first as the chapel of the Berlin Palace. The present building was ordered by Emperor William II and built between 1894 and 1905 to designs by Julius Raschdorff in Renaissance and Baroque Revival styles. Bombing in 1944 badly damaged it, and restoration under the East German government and after reunification lasted until 2002.

The church is the largest Protestant church in Germany. The main hall under the dome holds a large Sauer organ with more than 7,000 pipes, mosaics and an elaborate altar. The crypt below contains around 90 coffins and tombs of the Hohenzollern dynasty, one of the most important royal burial sites in Europe.

A stairway of 270 steps leads to a walkway around the outside of the dome, with views across the city. The cathedral holds services, state ceremonies and concerts. An entry fee applies for sightseeing outside services, and the dome walk is not accessible to wheelchair users.

A 116-metre original and the lower post-war dome

When it was finished in 1905, the cathedral rose to about 116 metres, among the tallest buildings in Berlin. The present dome is lower and simpler, as the post-war reconstruction did not recreate the full original design. Even so, the green copper dome still dominates the view along Unter den Linden and from the Spree.

War damage and the long rebuild

Damage began in 1940, when bombing blew out windows. On 24 May 1944 a firebomb set the lantern atop the dome alight, and it crashed into the main floor. A temporary roof closed the building from 1949 to 1953. Reconstruction started in earnest in 1975, when the northern Memorial Church wing was demolished. The baptistery and wedding church reopened in 1980, the nave was re-inaugurated on 6 June 1993, and the interior was restored by 2002.

The Sauer organ and the Hohenzollern crypt

The Wilhelm Sauer organ, fully restored during the rebuild, has 113 stops and a four-manual console, and its deepest pipes reach 32 feet. Organ recitals and concerts let you hear it at full strength. The Hohenzollern crypt stretches across almost the whole basement, with coffins ranging from plain to richly carved.