weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Besides the plethora of museums on Museum Island, the major drawing point here is undoubtedly the great Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom), one of the emblems of Berlin. As we cross the Palace Bridge (Schlossbrücke) with its impressive array of classical statues replete with Greek history and drama, we start seeing the major dome and some of its side domes peeking out above the crown of trees from the Lustgarten planted along the Spreekanal. In this set we see the cathedral from various angles in full as well as expanded in some detail. First a description of the building provided by our friends at Wikipedia:

BERLIN CATHEDRAL (BERLINER DOM) - The cathedral is a Protestant church and dynastic tomb on the Museum Island. Built from 1894-1905 by order of German Emperor William II in Renaissance and Baroque Revival styles, this building is the largest Protestant church in Germany and one of the most important dynastic tombs in Europe. Several predecessor buildings existed at or near this site, the new building is much larger than any of the previous buildings and was considered a Protestant counterweight to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The present building was inaugurated in 1905.

In the 1940's, the blast waves of Allied bombing blew out part of the windows, a bomb of combustible liquids entered the roof lantern of the dome. The fire could not be extinguished at that unreachable section of the dome. Thus the lantern burnt out and collapsed into the main floor. Between 1949 and 1953, a temporary roof was built to enclose the building. In 1967 the then still undivided Evangelical Church of the Union set up a committee for the reconstruction of the Cathedral, then located in East Berlin. The government of the Eastern German Democratic Republic did not oppose the work of the committee due to the concomitant inflow of Deutsche Marks. Reconstruction started in 1975, simplifying the building's original design and demolishing the northern wing, the 'Denkmalskirche' (Memorial Church). Compared by some to the Medici Chapel, it had survived the war completely intact but was demolished for ideological reasons by the communist government due to it being a hall of honor for the Hohenzollern dynasty. The government also demanded the removal of as many crosses as possible. The demolition and redesign cost 800,000 marks, while the restoration (done on the cheap) cost just 50,000 marks. The Berlin Cathedral Building Society now seek to rebuild the Denkmalskirche. In 1980, the baptistery and wedding church was reopened for services. The restoration of the nave was begun in 1984. In 1993, the nave was reinaugurated in an event attended by Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl and televised nationwide in Germany. In addition to church services, the cathedral is used for state ceremonies, concerts and other events.


Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction, maps and information for the entire series. Find it at:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-693834-1.html

DETAILS ON BERLIN: Set 37 provides an intro, see: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-698199-1.html

EARLIER POSTS of this series: Access my topic list, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105

Thank you for visiting, I recommend viewing the downloads and look forward to your comments and questions.

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1 - Dome of the cathedral viewed from the Schlossbrücke with three groups of statues on this bridge: Athena leads the young warrior into the fight (1853), Athena protects the young hero (1854), Iris takes the fallen hero to Olympus (1857)

(Download)

2 - Frontal view from the Pleasure Garden (Lustgarten) with fountain

(Download)

3 - View from the south-east corner of the Pleasure Garden

(Download)

4 - Cathedral with the fountain

(Download)

5 - Entrance detail with biblical sentence from Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

(Download)

6 - Closer view of the decorations above the main entrance

(Download)

7 - Set of statues to the left of the main entrance: Apostles Matthew and Mark with a scene out of the life of Martin Luther

(Download)

8 - Main door to the cathedral

(Download)

9 - Detail of the main door panels to the cathedral

(Download)

10 - Statue high up on the south-east corner facing the Spree river

(Download)

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Map of the center of Berlin for your reference

(Download)

jederick Loc: Northern Utah

Fantastic views of this historic church, Joe...you have done yourself and Germany proud...many, many thanks for sharing these wonderful images!!

angler Loc: StHelens England

Excellent set Joe.

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Great narrative and shooting!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you very much for your kind words Jim! - it is good to see you back again, I trust you had a great trip!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you very much Jim, glad you like the set.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you very much Bruce for your appreciative words!

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Well done, Joe. These are beautiful photos.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Wow.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Barbara, glad you like the pictures of this cathedral.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Bill, it is quite a building.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Beautiful place, well recorded, Joe!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you very much Mike!

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Outstanding, Joe. A great set of a beautiful church.