| The
Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche. This church-monument is one of Berlin's
most famous landmarks, surrounded by a lively crowds of street traders,
buskers and beggars. The vast Neo-Romanesque church was designed by Franz
Schwechten. It was consecrated in 1895 but was destroyed by Allied bombs
in 1943. After WW II, the ruins were removed, leaving only the massive
front tower at the base of which the Gedenkhalle (Memorial Hall) is
situated. This hall documents the history of the church and contains some
of the original ceiling mosaics, marble reliefs and liturgical objects
from the church. In 1963, Egon Eiermann designed a new octagonal church in
blue glass and a new freestanding bell tower. (DK
146) The Germans call the bombed tower the "hollow tooth" and
the new bell tower & octagonal church the "powder box &
lipstick" |
