Französischer Dom (French Cathedral), Berlin
The Huguenot Französischer Dom in Berlin. Photo by Sergio Calleja.
Interior of the French Cathedral. Photo by Sciamano.
Aerial view of the French Cathedral. Image © Google Earth.
The French Cathedral (German: Französischer Dom) is the oldest of the two cathedrals on Gendarmenmarkt, a beautiful square in Berlin. It was built by the Huguenot (French Calvinist) community between 1701 and 1705.
The Französischer Dom was modeled after the destroyed Huguenot church in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, France. The tower and porticos, designed by Carl von Gontard, were added to the building in 1785.
The French Cathedral offers visitors a viewing platform, a restaurant and a Huguenot museum (Hugenottenmuseum).
The Huguenot Museum represents the ongoing influence on Berlin by the Huguenots who emigrated from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Crown Prince Friedrich William encouraged them to settle here because most of them were skilled workers or otherwise useful to the kingdom.
One memorable artwork, in room nine of the museum, pictures Crown Princess Dorothea exclaiming "But he's a refugee!" upon being presented a very valuable set of jewels by Pierre Fromery.
The generally agreed-upon view of refugees as poor, without resources, let alone diamonds, was blown apart by the talented French Protestants forced to leave their country because of their religion.
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of the Französischer Dom in Berlin. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Berlin Map or get our free Google Earth download.
