The
Gendarmenmarkt is a square in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and the site of the
KonzerthausThe Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of Berlin. Since 1994 it has been the seat of the German orchestra Konzerthausorchester Berlin....
and the French and German Cathedrals. The centre of the Gendarmenmarkt is crowned by a statue of Germany's poet
Friedrich SchillerJohann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller [johan/joːhan krɪstɔf friːtʁɪç fɔn ʃɪləʁ/ʃɪlɐ] was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright...
. The square was created by Johann Arnold Nering at the end of the seventeenth century as the Linden-Markt and reconstructed by
Georg Christian Ungerin 1773.
The
Gendarmenmarkt is a square in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and the site of the
KonzerthausThe Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of Berlin. Since 1994 it has been the seat of the German orchestra Konzerthausorchester Berlin....
and the French and German Cathedrals. The centre of the Gendarmenmarkt is crowned by a statue of Germany's poet
Friedrich SchillerJohann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller [johan/joːhan krɪstɔf friːtʁɪç fɔn ʃɪləʁ/ʃɪlɐ] was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright...
. The square was created by Johann Arnold Nering at the end of the seventeenth century as the Linden-Markt and reconstructed by
Georg Christian Ungerin 1773. The Gendarmenmarkt is named after the
cuirassierCuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured knights...
regiment Gens d'Armes, which was deployed at this square until 1773.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
most of the buildings were badly damaged or destroyed. Today all the buildings are restored to their former state.
Der Französische Dom
The
French Cathedral (in German:
Französischer DomFranzösischer Dom is the colloquial naming for the French Church of Friedrichstadt located in Berlin on the Gendarmenmarkt across from the Deutscher Dom , formerly a church of German-speaking congregants. Louis Cayard and Abraham Quesnays built the first parts of the actual...
) the older of the two cathedrals was built by the
HuguenotThe Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Since the eighteenth century, Huguenots have been commonly designated "French Protestants", the title being suggested by their German co-religionists or "Calvinists"...
community between 1701 and 1705. The cathedral was modeled after the destroyed Huguenot church in
Charenton-Saint-MauriceSaint-Maurice is a commune in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located . from the center of Paris. The insane asylum Charenton was located in Saint-Maurice; it is now a psychiatric hospital.-History:...
, France. The tower and porticos, designed by
Carl von GontardCarl von Gontard was a German architect; he worked primarily in Berlin, Potsdam, and Bayreuth....
, were added to the building in 1785. The French cathedral has a viewing platform, a restaurant and a Huguenot museum.
Der Deutsche Dom
The
German Cathedral (in German:
Deutscher DomDeutscher Dom is the colloquial naming for the New Church located in Berlin on the Gendarmenmarkt across from Französischer Dom . Its parish comprised the northern part of the then new quarter of Friedrichstadt, which until then belonged to the parish of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church...
) is located in the south of the Gendarmenmarkt. It has a pentagonal structure which was designed by Martin Grünberg and built in 1708 by Giovanni Simonetti. In 1785 it was modified by Carl von Gontard, who build the domed tower. The German cathedral was completely destroyed during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
through fire in 1945. After the
German reunificationGerman reunification is the process in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and Berlin was united into a single city-state. The start of this process is commonly referred to by former citizens of the GDR as die Wende...
the cathedral was rebuilt, finished in 1993 and re-opened in 1996 as a museum of German history.
Das Konzerthaus
The
Konzerthaus BerlinThe Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of Berlin. Since 1994 it has been the seat of the German orchestra Konzerthausorchester Berlin....
is the most recent building on the Gendarmenmarkt. It was built by
Karl Friedrich SchinkelKarl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect and painter. Schinkel was one of the most prominent German architects and the best example of neoclassicism....
in 1821 as the
Schauspielhaus. It was based on the ruins of the National Theatre, which was destroyed by fire in 1817. Parts of the building contain columns and some outside walls from the destroyed National Theatre. Like the other buildings on this square, it was also badly damaged during World War II. The reconstruction, finished in 1984, turned the theatre into a concert hall. Today, it is the home of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.
The Gendarmenmarkt hosts one of Berlin's most popular
Christmas marketA Christmas market, also known as Christkindlmarkt, Christkindlesmarkt, Christkindlmarket, and Weihnachtsmarkt, is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during advent, mainly the four weeks preceding Christmas Day...
s.
External links