- Gendarmenmarkt
The Gendarmenmarkt is a square in
Berlin , and the site of the Konzerthaus and the French and German Cathedrals. The centre of the Gendarmenmarkt is crowned by a statue of Germany's poetFriedrich Schiller . The square was created byJohann Arnold Nering at the end of theseventeenth century as the Linden-Markt and reconstructed by [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Christian_Unger Georg Christian Unger] in 1773. The Gendarmenmarkt is named after thecuirassier regiment Gens d'Armes, which was deployed at this square until 1773.During
World War II most of the buildings were badly damaged or destroyed. Today all the buildings are restored to their former state.Der Französische Dom
The
French Cathedral (in German: "Französischer Dom ") the older of the two cathedrals was built by theHuguenot community between 1701 and 1705. The cathedral was modeled after the destroyed Huguenot church in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, France. The tower and porticos, designed byCarl von Gontard , were added to the building in 1785. The French cathedral has a viewing platform, a restaurant and a Huguenot museum.Der Deutsche Dom
The
German Cathedral (in German: "Deutscher Dom ") is located in the south of the Gendarmenmarkt. It has apentagonal structure which was designed byMartin Grünberg and built in 1708 byGiovanni Simonetti . In 1785 it was modified by Carl von Gontard, who build the domed tower. The German cathedral was completely destroyed duringWorld War II through fire in 1945. After theGerman reunification the cathedral was rebuilt, finished in 1993 and re-opened in 1996 as a museum of German history.Das Konzerthaus
The
Konzerthaus Berlin is the most recent building on the Gendarmenmarkt. It was built byKarl Friedrich Schinkel in 1821 as the "Schauspielhaus". It was based on the ruins of the National Theatre, which was destroyed by fire in 1817. Parts of the building contain columns and some outside walls from the destroyed National Theatre. Like the other buildings on this square, it was also badly damaged during World War II. The reconstruction, finished in 1984, turned the theatre into a concert hall. Today, it is the home of theKonzerthausorchester Berlin .The Gendarmenmarkt hosts one of Berlin's most popular
Christmas market s.External links
* [http://www.konzerthaus.de Website of das Konzerthaus]
* [http://www.berlin-tourist-information.de/cgi-bin/sehenswertes.pl?id=13345&sprache=english Der Gendarmenmarkt on Berlin Tourism]
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