Berliner Dom Archives - Walled In Berlin

Posts Tagged ‘Berliner Dom’

Unter Den Linden – Berlin’s Grandest Boulevard

Monday, July 8th, 2019

Unter Den Linden (Under the Linden Trees) is Berlin’s grandest boulevard. It is located in the historic heart of the city and named for the 1,000 linden trees in its spacious pedestrian median and along both sidewalks. Friedrich Wilhelm I (Frederick William I), Elector of Brandenburg and later King of Prussia, originally planted the trees in the 17th century. But in the 1930s, Adolf Hitler had most of them cut down and replaced with Nazi flags. Following a public outcry, he had them replanted. Nonetheless, during World War II, the trees were either destroyed or cut down for firewood. The present-day linden were planted in the 1950s.

Under den Linden – Berlin’s grandest boulevard with the Brandenburg Gate in the background. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2019. www.walled-in-berlin.com

History of Unter Den Linden

Unter den Linden stretches from the Brandenburg Gate to the Berlin City Palace (Berliner Stadtschloss). The famous boulevard began as an equestrian trail in the 16^thcentury to allow prince-elector Johann Georg (John George) of the Margraviate of Brandenburg to reach his hunting grounds in the Tiergarten. In the middle of the 17th century, Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia replaced that equestrian trail with a stately tree-lined boulevard.

Unter den Linden anchors

The Brandenburg Gate stands at the western boundary of Unter den Linden. Of the original fourteen city gates it is the only one that survived the ravages of time. During the Cold War, the Brandenburg Gate became a symbol of freedom. At the eastern end of Unter den Linden stands the City Palace, currently under reconstruction and slated for completion in 2020.

Points of Interest along Unter den Linden

Located immediately east of the Brandenburg Gate is the Pariser Platz (Paris Square). It was heavily bombed during World War II and became a no-man’s-land during the Cold War. But since German reunification in 1990, its pre-WWII embassies, hotels and banks have returned, including the famous Hotel Adlon. Further down Unter den Linden you’ll see the restored Berlin State Library, the renowned Humboldt University, the Bebelplatz (site of the infamous Nazi book burning in 1933), the State Opera, the Catholic St. Hedwig’s Cathedral, the German History Museum, the Neue Wache (now the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Dictatorship) and the Berliner Dom.

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

Tags: Bebelplatz, Berlin, Berliner Dom, Berliner Stadtschloss, Brandenburg Gate, Frederick William I of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm I, German reunification, Hotel Adllon, Margraviate of Brandenburg, Neue Wache, Unter den Linden
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Three Girls and a Boy in the Nude

Monday, January 15th, 2018

I am referring to the “Drei Maedchen und ein Knabe (three Girls and a Boy)” sculptures in Berlin, Germany, of course. In case you were thinking of the human body in the buff, keep in mind that, as the Germans like to say, God created the human body and McDonalds formed it. I neither agree nor disagree with that statement. I am just repeating what I heard. Anyway, unlike many human specimen, these four life-size bronze sculptures are perfectly proportioned. Is that because they never dined at McDonalds? Who knows.

These sculptures were created by German sculptor and stone cutter, Wilfried Fitzenreiter, and currently sit at the water’s edge along the Spree promenade, across from the Berlin Cathedral. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/Berliner-Dom-Transforms-Multiple-Times/ One girl looks down St. Wolfgang Street. The other three youths watch the hustle and bustle on the River Spree.

Three Girls and a Boy were once located at the Palasthotel

Originally, the four sculptures frolicked around the fountain of the Palasthotel, located at Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 5, right behind the Berlin Cathedral. In those days, the hotel – despite being located in East Germany – was closed to East German guests because it showcased many western products. Western merchandise was rarely made available to the East German public. Instead, the East German government frequently hosted distinguished foreign guests at the Palasthotel, which accepted only western currency.

The Palasthotel – part of the East German Interhotel chain – was also an important player in the Stasi surveillance of many foreigners who entered East Germany. For that reason, the hotel got the nickname “Stasi-Nest.” On an ongoing basis, Stasi officers monitored guests of “special-interest” here, using hidden cameras and microphones in corridors, elevators, reception areas and in selected rooms. Approximately 25 to 30 rooms were equipped accordingly and reserved for such special-interest guests. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/the-stasi-and-how-it-worked/

Three Girls and a Boy moved to the Banks of the River Spree

In 2001, following German reunification, the Palasthotel was demolished because of asbestos contamination, and the four sculptures were temporarily stored. When the hotel was rebuilt in 2003, now part of the Radisson group, the fountain and the Three Girls and a Boy sculptures did not return. Instead, the foursome moved to their current location along the eastern bank of the River Spree in 2007. As an interesting aside, during demolition, a 550-pound American WWII bomb was found at a depth of 13 feet. The bomb had rested in the ground, undisturbed, for 55 years. It was defused on the spot.

Three Girls and a Boy (Drei Maedchen und ein Knabe) sculptures on the eastern shore of the River Spree. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2017. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Tags: Berlin, Berlin Cathedral, Berliner Dom, Drei Maechen und ein Knabe, Palasthotel, River Spree, Spree Promenade, Stasi surveillance, Stasi-Nest, Three Girls and a Boy, Wilfried Fitzenreiter, WWII bomb
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Berliner Dom Transforms Multiple Times

Monday, October 9th, 2017

The Protestant Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) is located on Museum Island in the heart of Berlin, alongside the River Spree. It is Berlin’s largest church and a frequent venue for concerts and readings. The massive dome that soars above the main nave has become a well-known landmark in the city’s historic center. Despite the name, the Berlin Cathedral is not an actual cathedral since the church is not the seat of a bishop. Instead, it has the status of a parish church. During the Hohenzollern dynasty (rulers of Prussia) and during the reign of the German Emperors, the Berliner Dom was the court’s church.

Tops of Berliner Dom, two spires and Television Tower. Photo © Gundi Seifert, 2017. www.walled-in-berlin.com

History of the Berliner Dom

The Berliner Dom has a long history. It started as a modest Roman Catholic church in the 15th century, became a Protestant place of worship, was elevated to the status of supreme parish church and survived several demolitions and reconstructions.

FIRST CHURCH – In 1451, Prince-Elector Friedrich II (Irontooth) of Brandenburg moved into the newly erected Stadtschloss (City Place) on the southern part of Museums Island. Read: Berlin’s Museum Island The Stadtschloss included a Catholic chapel. In 1454, Friedrich II elevated that chapel to a Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church.

SECOND CHURCH -Friedrich II wanted a freestanding church, and in 1465 he had one constructed on the present site, across from the Stadtschloss. Read: Stadtschloss Berlin Reconstruction The new church was an unpretentious building. Following the Reformation, it became a Lutheran church and also served the Hohenzollern family as their court church.

THIRD CHURCH – In 1747, that second church was completely demolished and replaced by a Baroque building. Then, between 1820 and 1822, the Baroque church was remodeled into a neo-classical edifice.

FOURTH AND PRESENT CHURCH – In 1894, Emperor Wilhelm II ordered demolition of the neo-classical building and the construction of the much bigger, present-day cathedral to ensure that the Protestant Berliner Dom compared favorably to the Catholic St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Construction of the current structure was completed in 1905. https://www.visitberlin.de/en/berlin-cathedral

War Damage and Reconstruction of the Berliner Dom

In 1944, toward the end of World War II, a firebomb hit the Berliner Dom and severely damaged the dome itself and much of the structure. Following the division of Germany and Berlin, the Cathedral was located in East Berlin. Despite plans to raze the church, East German government officials had a temporary roof installed to protect what remained of the church’s interior. In 1975, they ordered the demolition of the cathedral’s northern wing. It had survived the war intact but had to go because it housed the Denkmalskirche, a Memorial Church and Hall of Honor for the Hohenzollern dynasty. At the same time, as many crosses as possible were removed from the cathedral. Fortunately, however, the East German government decided to reconstruct the remainder of the church in simplified form.

By 1984, five years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, restoration of the interior began. Following reunification work continued, and in 1993, the Berliner Dom reopened. The cathedral was consecrated for the second time in 1996 while restoration work continued until 2002.

What not to miss when visiting the Berliner Dom

The Berliner Dom is considerable more ornate than most Protestant churches. Aside from an abundance of marble columns and gilded ornaments, the cathedral’s dome, pipe organ, Imperial Stairwell and crypt are particularly worth seeing.

The DOME of the Berlin Cathedral reaches a height of 322 feet. The outer structure was rebuilt with a simplified cupola and spires. The dome is intricately decorated with mosaics, created by Anton von Werner.

The cathedral’s richly decorated IMPERIAL STAIRWELL was already used by the German Emperor. After climbing 267 steps to the viewing gallery, visitors are rewarded with splendid views of the entire interior of the Berliner Dom and of central Berlin.

From 1545 on, the royal family of Hohenzollern used the church as the family burial place. The Hohenzollern CRYPT contains nearly 94 coffins, sarcophagi and burial monuments from four centuries. https://www.berlin.de/en/attractions-and-sights/3559744-3104052-berlin-cathedral.en.htmlBerlin Cathedral The only Hohenzollern ruler not buried here is Kaiser Wilhelm II, who abdicated in 1918, at the end of the First World War.

The reconstructed PIPE ORGAN has more than 7,000 pipes and was originally built by Wilhelm Sauer in 1905.

Tags: Berlin, Berlin Cathedral, Berliner Dom, Denkmalskirche, Emperor Wilhelm II, Hohenzollern crypt, Hohenzollern dynasty, Imperial Stairwell, Museum Island, Pipe Organ, Price-Elector Friedrich II of Brandenburg, Prussia
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