The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is being renovated since the end of 2010.
Completion fall 2012
Cost 4.2 million €
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is under construction
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is being renovated since the end of 2010.
Completion fall 2012
Cost 4.2 million €
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Neue Wache - New Guard House
The new guard house was built in 1816 to 1818 after the designs of Karl Friedrich Schinkel and since 1993, the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for victims of war and tyranny.
Mitte - Unter den Linden
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Theme Day: Your favourite part of town
Today I want show you my favorite part in Berlin. Come with me on a tour through the most beautiful garden in Berlin 'Charlottenburg Garden'.
Charlottenburg Palace
The Charlottenburg Palace was built between 1695-1699, designed by the architect J. Arnold Nering. It was initially intended as a small garden and summer palace for the wife of Elector Friedrich III., Sophie Charlotte.
After the coronation of the elector in 1701 the first king in Prussia, the castle was built by the architect von Goethe Eosander to a more representative seat modeled on Versailles. The main central building with its eleven axes window has now been supplemented by wing and there was a cour d'honneur, a Court of Honor. Also in this phase was added in the most characteristic component of the Castle, a little too overblown dome.
The death of Sophie Charlotte in 1705, received the castle and the nearby village its name. With the death of King Frederick I in 1713, the construction work stopped and continued only under Frederick the Great 1740 Designed by Knobelsdorff was built between 1740-1746 of the new wing to the east, which should make the equivalent of the old west with the orangery wing.
As a final component 1791, the Palace Theatre added, designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans. This extension of the orangery would mark the final of the nearly 100-year construction period.
After the Charlottenburg Palace was damaged during the Second World War, the restoration required more than two decades to rebuild.
After the coronation of the elector in 1701 the first king in Prussia, the castle was built by the architect von Goethe Eosander to a more representative seat modeled on Versailles. The main central building with its eleven axes window has now been supplemented by wing and there was a cour d'honneur, a Court of Honor. Also in this phase was added in the most characteristic component of the Castle, a little too overblown dome.
The death of Sophie Charlotte in 1705, received the castle and the nearby village its name. With the death of King Frederick I in 1713, the construction work stopped and continued only under Frederick the Great 1740 Designed by Knobelsdorff was built between 1740-1746 of the new wing to the east, which should make the equivalent of the old west with the orangery wing.
As a final component 1791, the Palace Theatre added, designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans. This extension of the orangery would mark the final of the nearly 100-year construction period.
After the Charlottenburg Palace was damaged during the Second World War, the restoration required more than two decades to rebuild.
New Pavilion
Karl Friedrich Schinkel constructed this Italianesque building in 1825. An outstanding collection from Schinkel’s era with paintings by Caspar David Friedrich and Carl Blechen can be viewed here today. The new Pavillion is closed due to restoration. Reopening 2011
Belvedere
The architect Carl Gotthard Langhans constructed this charming building in 1788 to provide a lookout point in Charlottenburg Park. An important collection from the Berlin Porcelain Manufactory (KPM) is shown here today.
Orangerie
In the time it established itself in the Charlottenburg Palace as a summer residence, was built between 1709-12 in the west of the old castle subsequent Orangerie. Which served from Goethe Eosander Orangerie originally designed as wintering rare plants. During the summer months, when more than 500 orange, lemon and sour orange trees adorned the Baroque garden, the Orangerie was regularly magnificent scene of courtly festivities.
Destroyed in the War, the wing after the baroque style and rebuilt in a new light shines today. The well-lit banquet hall provides a lovely setting for cultural events, concerts and banquets. Not only in the past, the Orangerie of Charlottenburg Palace illustrious personalities can accommodate: So here were in the past years, about Queen Elizabeth II or the Chinese Premier visited.
Mausoleum
The mausoleum was built as a tomb for King Frederick William III and Queen Luise.
Later, Emperor William I and Empress Augusta were also laid to rest here.
Later, Emperor William I and Empress Augusta were also laid to rest here.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Festival of Lights - German cathedral at Gendarmenmarkt
Berlin’s Deutscher Dom – not to be confused with the Berliner Dom which is the largest protestant church in Berlin – is best known as one of the three buildings which make up the spectacular ‘trinity ensemble’ in the Gendarmenmarkt square in Mitte including its twin the Französische Dom (French Cathedral) and the Konzerthaus or Concert Hall. The Deutscher Dom was erected in 1708 under Elector Friedrich III, who had crowned himself King Friedrich I in 1701 and was intent, along with his wife Queen Sophie Charlotte, in turning Berlin into a royal residence to rival Versailles.
The building is by Martin Grünberg and was given its galleried ‘dome’ (hence the name Dom) originating from the French ‘dome’ or cupola, in 1785 by Carl von Gontard. It was known as the Neue Kirche (New Church) and only later referred to as the German Church. It is considered remarkable because of its five-sided floor plan. In 1780 Friedrich’s grandson, Friedrich the Great (1740-1786) commissioned Carl von Gontard to build two non-functional domes for the existing churches to offset the Comedy Theatre next to them ensembles which were inspired by Christopher Wren’s and Inigo Jones’s domes on St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The French dome housed the Huguenot Museum whereas the German dome was the address for the Berlin Historical Association.
Another victim of Allied bombings, the building was badly damaged during the war. The church and tower burned down in 1943, and were slowly restored between 1982 and 1996. Since 1992 a German Parliament exhibition can be seen here entitled “Wege, Irrwege and Umwege” roughly translated as “Paths, Loosing Track and Detours” or the development of parliamentary democracy in Germany – ways and roundabouts. No religious services are held here.
The building is by Martin Grünberg and was given its galleried ‘dome’ (hence the name Dom) originating from the French ‘dome’ or cupola, in 1785 by Carl von Gontard. It was known as the Neue Kirche (New Church) and only later referred to as the German Church. It is considered remarkable because of its five-sided floor plan. In 1780 Friedrich’s grandson, Friedrich the Great (1740-1786) commissioned Carl von Gontard to build two non-functional domes for the existing churches to offset the Comedy Theatre next to them ensembles which were inspired by Christopher Wren’s and Inigo Jones’s domes on St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The French dome housed the Huguenot Museum whereas the German dome was the address for the Berlin Historical Association.
Another victim of Allied bombings, the building was badly damaged during the war. The church and tower burned down in 1943, and were slowly restored between 1982 and 1996. Since 1992 a German Parliament exhibition can be seen here entitled “Wege, Irrwege and Umwege” roughly translated as “Paths, Loosing Track and Detours” or the development of parliamentary democracy in Germany – ways and roundabouts. No religious services are held here.
Source: berlin.de
Friday, October 22, 2010
Festival of Lights - Charlottenburg Palace
Between 1695 and 1699, the Elector of Brandenburg, Kurfürst Frederick III, who would later in 1701 become the first Prussian King (as Frederick I), built Lietzenburg Palace as a summer residence for his beloved wife, Sophie Charlotte. After her death in 1705, Frederick renamed it Charlottenburg in her memory. Despite being badly damaged in World War II air raids, the Palace’s unique 18th century features can still be seen today. After the war, the palace, along with many of the buildings in the vicinity, was reconstructed and now boasts a number of museums and exhibitions which serve to make it one of Berlin’s cultural centers.
Source: berlin.de
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Festival of Lights - Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is the trademark of Berlin. The main entrance to the city, surrounded by the wall for thirty years, was known throughout the world as a symbol for the division of the city and for the division of the world into two power blocs. Today's international visitors to Pariser Platz come to re-experience this first gateway to the city, and to enjoy the long-denied freedom to walk through this magnificent work of art and look at it up close.
It was built as the grandest of a series of city gates constituting the passages through the customs wall encircling the city at the end of the eighteenth century. It is the only gate which survived, because it constitutes the monumental termination of Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which led directly to the residence of the Prussian kings until the destruction of the city castle. The entire construction and ornamentation of the gate reflect the extraordinary importance it was granted by its builders. The architect selected as the model for his design the Propylaea in Athens, the monumental entry hall of the Acropolis. Just as the Propylaea led to a shrine of the Ancient world, this gate was to represent the access to the most important city of the Prussian kingdom. This reference to Antiquity made it the structure which founded the Classic age of architecture in Berlin, an epoch which brought the city its sobriquet "Spreeathen" ("Athens of the Spree" -- Berlin's river is called the Spree). The most important sculptor in Berlin during this period carried out the accompanying agenda of visual explanation. The Brandenburg Gate is crowned with a quadriga depicting the goddess of victory, "who brings peace", marching into the city. The relief on the pedestal portrays her again with her attendants. Personifications of virtues like friendship and statesmanship are represented, along with symbols of arts and sciences, because they make a city like Berlin bloom in times of peace. Reliefs with the exploits of Hercules in the passages allude to the time of the wars and the subsequent period of reconstruction, during which Friedrich II made Prussia into a European power and laid the foundation for flourishing trade and crafts. The gate thus is also a memorial for the king who died a few years before its construction.
The Brandenburg Gate is not only a symbol of division and reunification; it was also the site of many other events in German history, a history characterized by so many peaks and troughs. In 1806 Napoleon marched triumphantly into Berlin and carried the Quadriga away with him to Paris as a spoil of war. In 1814, after the victorious conclusion of the wars of liberation, Schinkel replaced the oak wreath on the goddess' scepter with an iron cross, changing the figure's interpretation from a courier of peace into a goddess of victory. In 1933 the National Socialists marched through the gate in a martial torch parade, introducing the darkest chapter of German history, ultimately leaving the city destroyed and Germany divided.
It was built as the grandest of a series of city gates constituting the passages through the customs wall encircling the city at the end of the eighteenth century. It is the only gate which survived, because it constitutes the monumental termination of Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which led directly to the residence of the Prussian kings until the destruction of the city castle. The entire construction and ornamentation of the gate reflect the extraordinary importance it was granted by its builders. The architect selected as the model for his design the Propylaea in Athens, the monumental entry hall of the Acropolis. Just as the Propylaea led to a shrine of the Ancient world, this gate was to represent the access to the most important city of the Prussian kingdom. This reference to Antiquity made it the structure which founded the Classic age of architecture in Berlin, an epoch which brought the city its sobriquet "Spreeathen" ("Athens of the Spree" -- Berlin's river is called the Spree). The most important sculptor in Berlin during this period carried out the accompanying agenda of visual explanation. The Brandenburg Gate is crowned with a quadriga depicting the goddess of victory, "who brings peace", marching into the city. The relief on the pedestal portrays her again with her attendants. Personifications of virtues like friendship and statesmanship are represented, along with symbols of arts and sciences, because they make a city like Berlin bloom in times of peace. Reliefs with the exploits of Hercules in the passages allude to the time of the wars and the subsequent period of reconstruction, during which Friedrich II made Prussia into a European power and laid the foundation for flourishing trade and crafts. The gate thus is also a memorial for the king who died a few years before its construction.
The Brandenburg Gate is not only a symbol of division and reunification; it was also the site of many other events in German history, a history characterized by so many peaks and troughs. In 1806 Napoleon marched triumphantly into Berlin and carried the Quadriga away with him to Paris as a spoil of war. In 1814, after the victorious conclusion of the wars of liberation, Schinkel replaced the oak wreath on the goddess' scepter with an iron cross, changing the figure's interpretation from a courier of peace into a goddess of victory. In 1933 the National Socialists marched through the gate in a martial torch parade, introducing the darkest chapter of German history, ultimately leaving the city destroyed and Germany divided.
Source: stadtentwicklung.de
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Festival of Lights - French cathedral at Gendarmenmarkt
The Französischer Dom or French Cathedral is not a cathedral in the traditional sense of the word. The German name of Dom refers to the ‘domed’ tower later erected on the existing church in 1785, almost one hundred years after it had been built originally as the Französische Friedrichstadtkirche.
It was erected as a place of worship in 1672 for the Huguenots, members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, also known as French Calvinists. Fleeing religious persecution and expulsion from France following the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau, around 6000 French Protestants were granted asylum in Berlin by the Great Elector Friedrich III (King Friedrich I from 1701) who had responded swiftly to the French expulsion order with the Edict of Potsdam, granting permission to French Protestants to settle in Berlin. The Huguenots built a thriving community, preserving a French language church service for nearly a century. It was only in protest against Napoleon’s occupation of Prussia in 1806 that the service switched to German.
The Französische Friedrichstadtkirche was erected between 1701 and 1705, in the grid-layout, newly built area known as Friedrichstadt. Its central area – now the Gendarmenmarkt - became the Friedrichstadt market and two churches were built here. On the northern side the French Church, was modelled by Louis Cayart on the Huguenots’ main church in Charenton – which had been destroyed in 1688. To the south of the market the Neue Kirche - later German Church recognizable by its innovative five-side central structure. The identical domes which then gave the Churches their new name of French and German Domes were erected in 1780-85 with no inner architectonic connection to the churches.
In 1905 the building’s interior was redesigned by Otto March with the creation of a three-axis central projection on the west façade. His ideas for the church remained influential and a new phase of restoration took place between 1978 and 1983, as a consequence to the damage which occurred during the War with the addition of an intermediate floor and an extra room.
The French Dome church has housed the Hugenottenmuseum - Huguenots Museum - since 1929 and the Berlin Historical Association has its offices in the German Dome.
The tower’s restoration has made it possible to climb up to a spiralling staircase - an absolutely worthwhile climb for a spectacular view of the square and of Mitte.
Source: Berlin.de
It was erected as a place of worship in 1672 for the Huguenots, members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, also known as French Calvinists. Fleeing religious persecution and expulsion from France following the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau, around 6000 French Protestants were granted asylum in Berlin by the Great Elector Friedrich III (King Friedrich I from 1701) who had responded swiftly to the French expulsion order with the Edict of Potsdam, granting permission to French Protestants to settle in Berlin. The Huguenots built a thriving community, preserving a French language church service for nearly a century. It was only in protest against Napoleon’s occupation of Prussia in 1806 that the service switched to German.
The Französische Friedrichstadtkirche was erected between 1701 and 1705, in the grid-layout, newly built area known as Friedrichstadt. Its central area – now the Gendarmenmarkt - became the Friedrichstadt market and two churches were built here. On the northern side the French Church, was modelled by Louis Cayart on the Huguenots’ main church in Charenton – which had been destroyed in 1688. To the south of the market the Neue Kirche - later German Church recognizable by its innovative five-side central structure. The identical domes which then gave the Churches their new name of French and German Domes were erected in 1780-85 with no inner architectonic connection to the churches.
In 1905 the building’s interior was redesigned by Otto March with the creation of a three-axis central projection on the west façade. His ideas for the church remained influential and a new phase of restoration took place between 1978 and 1983, as a consequence to the damage which occurred during the War with the addition of an intermediate floor and an extra room.
The French Dome church has housed the Hugenottenmuseum - Huguenots Museum - since 1929 and the Berlin Historical Association has its offices in the German Dome.
The tower’s restoration has made it possible to climb up to a spiralling staircase - an absolutely worthwhile climb for a spectacular view of the square and of Mitte.
Source: Berlin.de
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Festival of Lights - Schauspielhaus am Gendarmenmarkt
Once a Theater, now a concert hall is one of the masterpieces of classical architecture in Germany and has a long history. As early as 1776 at the instigation of Frederick the Great opened at this point a little comedy house, the Elder to the plans of the Prussian Building Director John Bouman was built. The name change to Royal National Theatre in 1787 highlighted the rise of one of the leading theaters in the country.
At the beginning of the 19th Century, Carl Gotthard Langhans was charged with the construction of the theater, which opened on New Year's Day 1802 ceremony. But in 1817 the theater was destroyed by fire, who made a new building necessary. King Friedrich Wilhelm III. gave the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel's bid for the theater, but he was tied with his plans to several provisions of the King. After three years of construction, the theater was inaugurated in 1821 in the presence of the king.
After the theater had been by the fighting at the end of World War II severely affected, it was built 1979-1984 as a concert hall again.
Source: Berlin.de
At the beginning of the 19th Century, Carl Gotthard Langhans was charged with the construction of the theater, which opened on New Year's Day 1802 ceremony. But in 1817 the theater was destroyed by fire, who made a new building necessary. King Friedrich Wilhelm III. gave the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel's bid for the theater, but he was tied with his plans to several provisions of the King. After three years of construction, the theater was inaugurated in 1821 in the presence of the king.
After the theater had been by the fighting at the end of World War II severely affected, it was built 1979-1984 as a concert hall again.
Source: Berlin.de
Monday, October 11, 2010
Charlottenburg Palace
On 24 January 2012 marks the 300th birthday of Frederick the Great.
To mark this anniversary, the Foundation for Prussian Palaces and Gardens Berlin-Brandenburg, the person of the king and the New Palace in Sanssouci Park in the heart of its activities: provide a great presentation and a variety of events a special look behind the mask of the king and the facade of his greatest castle.
Friedrich (1712-1786) influenced by his time as extraordinary as unexpected, a regent could hardly fed ideas and actions. He won as a politician and general, but also as a writer and philosopher, a great influence - on his contemporaries as to posterity, positive or negative. For Friedrich personally sat down for his goals, pursued them engaged, even ruthless - when it mattered, with life and limb. Friedrich, as history shows, was always willing to take risks for his cause.
To mark this anniversary, the Foundation for Prussian Palaces and Gardens Berlin-Brandenburg, the person of the king and the New Palace in Sanssouci Park in the heart of its activities: provide a great presentation and a variety of events a special look behind the mask of the king and the facade of his greatest castle.
Friedrich (1712-1786) influenced by his time as extraordinary as unexpected, a regent could hardly fed ideas and actions. He won as a politician and general, but also as a writer and philosopher, a great influence - on his contemporaries as to posterity, positive or negative. For Friedrich personally sat down for his goals, pursued them engaged, even ruthless - when it mattered, with life and limb. Friedrich, as history shows, was always willing to take risks for his cause.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
History of Berlin Wall
In 1999 the Berlin government demolished most part of the remaining Wall at Potsdamer Platz.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
History Place
John-F.-Kennedy-Platz (John F. Kennedy Square) in Berlin-Schöneberg. It was the square in which US President John F. Kennedy gave his famous speech to the Berliners, in which he stated: "Ich bin ein Berliner".
For more Information click here
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