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Official name: Oberpfarr und Domkirche zu Berlin
Also known as: Berlin Cathedral
Built:
1894- 1905
Designed by: Julius Carl Raschdorff
Renovated: 1975-1993
Type: Holy Place
Maximum height: 279 feet / 85 meters
Location: Am Lustgarten 1
City: Berlin
State: Land Berlin
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W
hen the Protestant Church split from the Catholic Church, one of the arguments for reform was to protest the Church's elaborate spending on palaces and cathedrals. But every religion needs a central point of strength, so this building was the Protestant answer to Saint Peter's in Vatican City. It was also the official cathedral of the Prussian Hohenzollern royal family. Like most great European churches, this isn't the first one at this location. The previous cathedral was built in the mid-18th century, but was destroyed. But further back, this place became historically significant in 1536 when church on this site became the official collegiate church. Before that it was a Dominican church. Three years later it became a Lutheran church and in 1608 was named the highest-ranking church in the area, then known as Cölln. Just five years later, the church became Calvinist, and the official royal court church. It was in the mid-1700's that the then-worn church was replaced by a new cathedral. That building remained until the late 1800's when the current cathedral was built. It was damaged by Allied bombs during the second World War, and took nearly 20 years to repair. The resulting building isn't as tall as the original, but it certainly remains an impressive and worthy structure.
**In 2002, it cost €8,665.34 a day to run and maintain the cathedral.
**There was once a mausoleum attached to the north side of the cathedral.
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