Berlin Cathedral Guide

Berlin Cathedral, the Berliner Dom, is the largest Protestant church in the city, built between 1894 and 1905 for the Hohenzollern court in a heavy Italian Renaissance and baroque style. It was never a bishop's seat, so the name is a courtesy. The building was badly damaged in the Second World War, the dome was long left in poor condition, and the interior was restored over several decades and reopened in 1993.

What to look at

Start under the dome in the main hall, where the gilded mosaics and the pulpit show the scale of imperial ambition. The Sauer organ is among the largest in the country and is used for concerts, so check the official programme if you want to hear it. Downstairs, the Hohenzollern crypt holds the sarcophagi of members of the ruling family, some of them very ornate, and is a sober contrast to the hall above.

The dome climb

Climbing leads through the inner and outer galleries to a walkway around the base of the dome. The view takes in the Lustgarten, the Humboldt Forum, the Spree and the TV Tower beyond. It is a long stair, not an elevator ride, so wear comfortable shoes. We would climb on a clear day, when the view toward Alexanderplatz is sharp, and skip it in fog.

Pair it with

The Cathedral faces the Lustgarten, the lawn in front of the Altes Museum, which is a pleasant place to sit between museums. It fits naturally into a day on Museum Island, and the Humboldt Forum stands just across the road. From here, Unter den Linden leads west to the Brandenburg Gate.

Who it suits

It suits visitors who enjoy church interiors, architecture and organ music, and those who like a high viewpoint without the queue for the TV Tower. If you have only one day in the historic centre, we would treat the Cathedral as a short stop of an hour or so, and save the main part of your time for the museums. Services and concerts affect access, so check the official site on the day.