Französischer Dom

It’s actually not a church, but a tower: the French Cathedral. Together with the German Cathedral, it adorns Berlin’s most beautiful square, the Gendarmenmarkt. Together with his twin brother, he flanks the Konzerthaus and adorns the Gendarmenmarkt. The French and German Cathedrals with their striking cupola towers are the reason why Gendarmenmarkt is considered the most beautiful square in Berlin - and you definitely shouldn’t miss it. And at the same time, the buildings are stone proof of successful integration and religious tolerance.

The French Cathedral is not a church - even if its name suggests it. In fact, there are two buildings. The French Cathedral is just the magnificent domed tower of the building. It houses the Huguenot Museum and a viewing platform. The name comes from the French dôme for dome . The French Cathedral owes its name to its building history: in 1701 the construction of a church for the French, Protestant community began and was completed in 1705. Numerous French Protestants, the Huguenots, fled France to Prussia. With the Edict of Potsdam, Elector Friedrich Wilhelm granted them safe refuge in Prussia.

In 1785 Frederick II commissioned Karl von Gontard and then later Christian Ungers to add magnificent towers to both churches. They are purely representative jewelry without any function. During World War II, bombing raids destroy the buildings on Gendarmenmarkt. They remain in ruins for a long time, and reconstruction only begins in 1981. At Easter 1983 the first service could be celebrated in the restored church. The tower with the viewing balustrade and the carillon opened in 1987 to celebrate Berlin’s 750th anniversary.

The interior is kept simple in accordance with the Reformed belief system. There are no pictures and no altar. Nevertheless, with its curved ceiling arches, it has a simple elegance. The magnificent organ with a golden aureole is the only magnificent ornament. The French Friedrichstadtkirche is one of the most important places for church music in Berlin. Top-class concerts are held here regularly. In addition to the weekly organ concerts, the church room is also an atmospheric setting for many concerts by other organizers. The carillon consists of 60 bronze bells. It is the second largest in the city after the carillon in Tiergarten.

https://www.visitberlin.de/de/franzoesischer-dom

Photo: Berthold Werner