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Dom in Berlin Facts & Worksheets

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) is the common name for the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church in Berlin, Germany.

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Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) is the common name for the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church in Berlin, Germany. It is located on Museum Island in the Mitte borough. Its current building was finished in 1905 and is the major work of Historicist architecture of the “Kaiserzeit”.

See the fact file below for more information on the Berliner Dom or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Dom in Berlin worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

DESCRIPTION

  • Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom), completed in 1905, is Berlin’s largest and most important Protestant church as well as the sepulchre of the Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty.
  • This outstanding high-renaissance baroque monument has linked the Hohenzollerns to German Protestantism for centuries and undergone renewed phases of architectural renovation since the Middle Ages.
  • First built in 1465 as a parish church on the Spree River, it was only finally completed in 1905 under the last German Kaiser – Wilhelm II. Damaged during the Second World War, it remained closed during the GDR years and reopened after restoration in 1993.

HISTORY

  • A first church on this site was built in 1465.
  • This rather modest building later served as the court church for the Hohenzollern family, whose palace was just across the street.
  • The church was replaced by a cathedral, built in 1745-1747 to a Baroque design from Johann Boumann. Between 1816 and 1822, it was remodeled into a classicist building following a design by the esteemed Berlin architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

CONSTRUCTION

  • On the order of Emperor William II, this domed building was demolished in 1894 to make way for the current cathedral, which was completed in 1905.
  • Much larger than any of the previous buildings, it was meant as a protestant counterweight to the Catholic St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
  • It is unusually ornate for a Protestant church. The domed cathedral, measuring 144 by 73 meters (472 x 240 ft), was designed by Julius Raschdorf in a High Renaissance style accentuated with rich Baroque decorations.

WAR DAMAGE

  • During the Second World War, the cathedral was hit by a fire bomb, which severely damaged much of the building.
  • A temporary roof was installed to protect what remained of the interior and – despite plans by the East German government to demolish the building in 1975 – reconstruction of the church started.
  • The restoration of the interior began in 1984 and in 1993, the cathedral reopened. It was consecrated for the second time in 1996. Meanwhile, restoration work continued until 2002.
  • During reconstruction, the original design was simplified, the cupolas that crowned the domes, for instance, were removed.
  • The Hohenzollern mausoleum that was located at the north side of the building was also removed in the process.

THE CATHEDRAL

  • Interior. The interior is opulent and shows Emperor William II’s liking for ostentation. Marble columns and gilded ornaments are in abundance.
  • The chancel features three stained glass windows, created by Anton von Werner, that depict the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ.
  • The main altar was created by Friedrich August Stüler for the cathedral’s predecessor and is made of white marble and yellow onyx. The nearby pulpit was hand carved in oak following a design by Otto Raschdorff, son of the cathedral’s architect.
  • One of the most interesting items in the cathedral is the reconstructed pipe organ, built by the Wilhelm Sauer manufactory. The organ, originally constructed in 1905, has more than 7,000 pipes.
  • Below the organ is a beautiful sculpted sarcophagus made for the Great Elector, Frederick William. On the opposite side, you find an even more magnificent sarcophagus, sculpted by Andreas Schlüter for King Frederick I. Adjacent is the Tauf and Traukirche, a chapel used for baptisms and marriages.
  • The magnificent dome, which reaches a height of 98 meters (322 ft), is decorated with mosaics created by Anton von Werner. You can get an overview of the interior walk to the Kaiserliches Treppenhaus (Imperial Stairwell), and climb the 267 steps to the gallery right below the dome.
  • Along the way you pass the cathedral’s museum, which displays plenty of scale models, ornaments, historical photos of the cathedral, and background information about its history.

THE CRYPT

  • In total, there are 94 coffins and sarcophagi of royals in the cathedral. Some of these are in the main church. Among them is the tomb of Johann Cicero, elector of Brandenburg, the oldest (1530) tomb in the cathedral.
  • Other members of the Hohenzollern family are buried in the Hohenzollern Gruft, the cathedral’s crypt in the basement.

Dom in Berlin Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Dom in Berlin across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Dom in Berlin worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) which is the common name for the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church in Berlin, Germany. It is located on Museum Island in the Mitte borough. Its current building was finished in 1905 and is the major work of Historicist architecture of the “Kaiserzeit”.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Dom in Berlin Facts
  • Fascinating Facts
  • Berliner Dom Timeline
  • Only in Dom
  • True or False
  • Dream Dom
  • Dom Crossword
  • The Contributors
  • Berliner Dom Tour
  • News Article!
  • The Berliner Dom

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Link will appear as Dom in Berlin Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 15, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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