Berlin
Berlin is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with nearly 3.5 million inhabitants. Full of history and culture, Berlin has a number of sights of religious interest, including several cathedrals, an important synagogue, cutting-edge modern architecture (as seen in the Holocaust Memorial and Jewish Museum), and world-class museums full of religious art and antiquities.
Travel Resources for Berlin
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See our Berlin Map for a closer view. |
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Religious Attractions in Berlin
 Built in 1905, this impressive basilica has been called the "Protestant St. Peter's." The crypt contains tombs of Prussian royals and you can climb up to the dome.  Founded in 1904, the Bode Museum contains a wealth of art and artifacts from the Byzantine and Medieval periods, primarily from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France and Spain.  Originally built in 1708, the German Cathedral was completely destroyed by fire during World War II. The cathedral was rebuilt and reopened in 1996 as a museum of German history.  The French Cathedral is the oldest of the two churches on Gendarmenmarkt square. It was built by the Huguenot (French Calvinist) community between 1701 and 1705.  Opened in 2001, Berlin's Jüdisches Museum is housed in a striking modern building containing bizarre angles and open voids to evoke the Holocaust. It is the largest Jewish museum in Europe.  An attractive Protestant church on the east side of Berlin, St. Mary's Church houses a 15th-century fresco of "The Dance of Death" and other artworks.  This unique Holocaust memorial was unveiled in May 2005. Spread over a large site in central Berlin, it consists of about 2,700 concrete steles arranged in a grid pattern.  Built in 1859-66 and meticulously restored, the New Synagogue of Berlin is an exotic amalgam of styles with a Moorish feel. It is both an active synagogue and a museum.  This world-class museum showcases rare antiquities and religious art from such great cities as Pergamum, Miletus and Babylon, including the famous Ishtar Gate. |
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