Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, Berlin

Favorite thing: The church was built from 1891?95 but destroyed in 1943. Originally the ruins should be replaced by a new building but after protests they stayed and were integrated in the new building and now you have the contrast between history and the new modern building.
The entrance to the church is free and you can get there by using the subway U15 or U9. If you have enough time, you can also have a walk there from the train station Berlin Zoologischer Garten.



pic from the free download service of Berlins press agency

Fondest memory: One of my fond memories in Berlin would be seeing the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirche from as near as I could get.
It stands majestically on Breitscheiplatz.

On the left side of the photo, you can almost see the the 1961 built, a modern octagonal Hall Of Worship with its blue stained glass windows.

Favorite thing: Check out the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtnis Church, built in 1895 and bombed in 1943. This photo doesn't show it real well but the building has been left like it was after being bombed (as a reminder of the war I heard)...

Favorite thing: This is a very famous landmark on Ku'damm.

The original neo-romanesque structure, built in 1895 in honour of Kaiser Wilhelm I, was partially destroyed by the WWII Allied bombing on November 22nd 1943 leaving only the west tower. The burnt out tower was left standing as a reminder of the destroyed city. Inside, there is a small exhibition including some before and after photos. Some of the original ceiling mosaics and elaborate masonry can still be seen, but nothing can disguise the fact that it was constructed in the late 19th century.

The architect Egon Eiermann from Karlsruhe created his beautiful new church with its 20,000 pre fabricated concrete units in 1961.
Its octagonal shape and multitude of blue stained glass windows are certainly very striking and it glows at night , albeit a little out of place, but the feeling of calm and solemn created within. To the other side of the old tower, the architectural chaos is topped off by a tall, modern, hexagonal bell tower of which the ground floor is a One World shop.

Favorite thing: This is a very famous landmark on Ku'damm.

The original neo-romanesque structure, built in 1895 in honour of Kaiser Wilhelm I, was partially destroyed by the WWII Allied bombing on November 22nd 1943 leaving only the west tower. The burnt out tower was left standing as a reminder of the destroyed city. Inside, there is a small exhibition including some before and after photos. Some of the original ceiling mosaics and elaborate masonry can still be seen, but nothing can disguise the fact that it was constructed in the late 19th century.

The architect Egon Eiermann from Karlsruhe created his beautiful new church with its 20,000 pre fabricated concrete units in 1961.
Its octagonal shape and multitude of blue stained glass windows are certainly very striking and it glows at night , albeit a little out of place, but the feeling of calm and solemn created within. To the other side of the old tower, the architectural chaos is topped off by a tall, modern, hexagonal bell tower of which the ground floor is a One World shop.

Favorite thing: This is the now called Kaiser Wilhem's memorial church, which was almost destroyed during the war and was tore down except for its main tower, which you can see in the picture keeping the traces of its painful history. New modern buildings (for religious purposes, too) have been built around it, and there's nothing inside the church tower anymore, it's only open for visitors to see it.

Favorite thing: The neo-Remanesque Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. The Allied (actually a British pilot) bombing of 22 November 1943 left only the husk of the church's west tower standing.

A modern octagonal Hall of Worship with its bluer-than-blue stained-glass windows stands next to it.

The contrast between these two buildings was quite impressive to me.

Favorite thing: GO TO MEMORIAL CHURCH

Here, around the ruins of the Memorial Church, life buzzes from morning untill night. This is where the legendary Ku'damm begins. Start your adventure tour with line 100, to be found close to the Bahnhof Zoo RAILWAY STATION.