Image Copyright: Gisela Pape

Berlin's prettiest and the most harmonic place is surely the Gendarmenmarkt, in walking distance from the Friedrichstraße. The place was already created in the 17th-century and was called initially Esplanade, then Lindenmarkt, Mittelständischer resp Friedrichstädtischer Markt and finally Gendarmenmarkt, because a regiment of gendarmes had here from 1736 to 1782, its guard-house and stables. The place was heavily destroyed during the 2nd World War and has been painstakingly rebuilt. In 1950, during the times of the GDR the place was renamed Platz der Akademie. The place got its original name back after the reunification in the year 1990.

The place is surrounded by three monumental buildings: the Schauspielhaus (Playhouse), the Deutschen Dom (German Cathedral) and the Französischen Dom (French Cathedral).

Centre of this 48.000sqm big place is the Playhouse, one of Schinkel's most exquisite buildings, which was constructed in the years 1818-1821, on the walls of the in 1817 burned down National Theatre. The relief of the gable sections and the roofs arrangement stems from Friedrich Tieck, Christian Daniel Rauch created the theatre hall's gables. The house was inaugurated in 1848 with Goethe's 'Iphigenie'. At the same year the Prussian constitutive National Assembly held a meeting at the playhouse. The building was re-opened in 1984 after years of restoration work as concert house. The Big Hall designed in classicism style takes around 1200 persons (organ with 5801 organ-pipes and 74 registers). Around 400 persons can be seated in the chamber music hall. A rehearsal hall and a music club are also located at the house. The Schiller monument, removed by the Nazis in 1938, returned restored to its old place in front of the outside staircase in 1989. The four female figures on the fountain bowl are personifications of Lyricism (with harp), dramatic art (with dagger), the story (with writing signs) and philosophy (with scroll and inscription 'Recognise Yourself').

Image Copyright: Gisela Pape

At the north side of the place is the Französische Dom (French Cathedral) built 1701-1705 after plans by LOUIS Cayart and Quesnay. The church of the Friedrichswerderschen and the French-reformed community served the Huguenots community, which had settled in Berlin in 1685. The cathedral consists of the Friedrichstadt-Church and the belatedly put on dome tower. The 70m high tower was built after plans by Carl Friedrich von Contards. Inside hangs a carillon, encompassing five octaves with 60 bells, which are not tolled but moved by a keyboard. In 40m height is a viewing balustrade that offers loveliest views over the Gendarmenmarkt. The cellar, houses the Huguenot Museum.

Image Copyright: Gisela Pape

On the south side of the place is the Deutsche Dom (German Cathedral) situated, constructed by master builder Martin Grünberg in 1701-1708, as a plain church building for the simple reformed Lutheran community. The church acquired under Friedrich the Great a pillar front hall and the dome tower after plans by Carl Friedrich von Contard. The dome is crowned by a gold plated 7m high sculpture ('Virtue or Poverty'). Georg Wenzeslaus of Knobeldorf is buried in the cathedral. At the building's east side is the building of the Akademie der Wissenschaften (Academy of Sciences) situated. It was built in 1901 for the former Prussian State Bank. Among the scientists who worked here are Franz Karl Achard, Andreas Sigismund Marggraf, Leonhard Euler, Albert Einstein, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt, Max Planck and Rudolf Virchow.

Today the Deutsche Dom houses the exhibition of the German Lower House of Parliament "Wege - Irrwege - Umwege" - Die Entwicklung der parlamentarischen Demokratie in Deutschland (Paths - wrong track - detour - The development of the parliamentarian democracy in Germany).

Historical exhibition of the Deutscher Bundestag (German Lower House of German Parliament) at the Deutschen Dom
Am Gendarmenmarkt 1, 10117 Berlin

Free Entrance

Transport Links:

U-Bahn: Französiche Straße, Stadtmitte, Hausvogteiplatz
S-Bahn: Friedrichstraße
Bus: 147