Berlin Cathedral

Berlin Cathedral: The Protestant Empire’s Church, and the Crypt That Most Visitors Miss

The Berliner Dom was completed in 1905 as the court church of the Hohenzollern dynasty – the architects of the Prussian state that became the German Empire. Its Italian Renaissance and neo-baroque exterior, the copper dome rising 114 metres above the Spree, and its position on Museum Island between the Altes Museum and the Spree River were all deliberate demonstrations of Protestant imperial ambition. It is architecturally confident in the way that buildings built to assert something political always are.

The construction is more recent than its aesthetic suggests, which is worth knowing: the previous Berlin Cathedral was demolished to make way for it, and the current building was completed only 20 years before the First World War ended the empire it was built to celebrate. The interior was severely damaged in the Second World War and the reconstruction wasn’t completed until 1993.

What to See

The dome, accessible via 270 steps, gives panoramic views over Museum Island and the Spree. Buy tickets online to avoid the queue; entry costs around EUR 9 and includes the dome climb and the crypt.

The Hohenzollern Crypt in the basement is the most undervisited part of the building. It holds 94 sarcophagi of Prussian royalty dating back to the 17th century, including elaborately carved baroque coffins and the tomb of Frederick I of Prussia (who crowned himself King in 1701, a move that inaugurated the Prussian monarchy). Frederick the Great is not here – he is at Sanssouci – but the accumulation of dynastic history in a relatively small space is more affecting than the main church above.

The nave’s intricate mosaics cover the walls and ceilings with biblical and Prussian historical scenes. The organ, rebuilt in the 1980s, is one of the larger working organs in Germany and is used for concerts and services.

The Lustgarten

The park immediately west of the cathedral between the church and the Altes Museum is one of Berlin’s oldest open spaces. In warm weather it fills with people on the grass, eating from food trucks, and looking at the cathedral from a reasonable distance. It’s the best view of the exterior proportions and the least expensive Berliner Dom experience.

Combining with Museum Island

The Cathedral is adjacent to Museum Island; a combined visit with the Pergamon Museum or Neues Museum makes a natural full day. The Hackescher Markt neighbourhood, 10 minutes north on foot, has good independent cafes and restaurants that are not on the Museum Island tourist circuit.