Marienkirche (Saint Mary’s Church); Mitte, Berlin
| Basics: | |
| Location: | 52.52055583407077, |
| 13.406876921653748 | |
| Locality: | Mitte |
| Borough: | Mitte |
| City: | Berlin |
| State: | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
| Type: | Protestant Church |
| Catholic Church (original) | |
| Architect: | Carl Gotthard Langhans |
| (bell tower dome only) | |
| Style: | Gothic |
| Features: | Granite Facade |
| Brick Facade | |
| Bell Tower | |
| Year Built: | 1270 (original structure) |
| 1790 (bell tower dome) | |
| 1950 (WWII repairs completed) |
This incredible church dates back to the 13th century and has seen its share of notable history including a switch from the Catholic to the Protestant Church.
Key Details:
The church was built roughly in the year 1270 and the front bell tower was built in the 15th century. The large metal bell tower dome was added in 1790 in the Baroque and Neo-Gothic styles.
The church was originally a Catholic church but switched to a Lutheran Protestant church in 1539. A monument to Martin Luther is located outside the church in honor of his authoring of the Ninety-Five Theses and his role in the Protestant Reformation.
The church has a number of incredible works of art in the interior, some dating back to the 15th century. Many of these works have been collected from other churches that were either destroyed during WWII or degraded over time because of age. In addition, a massive pipe organ looms over the main door of the church and provides a striking backdrop for services.
If You Go:
Located just to the south of the Alexanderplatz S-Bahn and U-Bahn station and at the base of the Fernsehturm (TV tower), this landmark is hard to miss. It is well worth the visit to both the exterior plaza and the interior space. The church is generally open to the public during daytime hours.
Sources:
http://www.marienkirche-berlin.de/
This work by Matt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Make sure to check out the photos of the pipe organ. Incredible!
It’s fairly unassuming compared to some of the other churches and buildings in the area. I don’t think we thought much of it from the outside until we got up close and realized how old it was!