Photos of Berlin, Germany
taken during an
ELDERHOSTEL
program on
OPERA and MUSIC
our host
Paul Lobe Institute
our host city, BERLIN
More of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church
we walked past Check Point
Charlie
into former East Berlin
to the Deutsche Staatsoper
Director
of DEUTSCHE STAATSOPER chatting with
our Instructor (right)
attended performance of PARSIFAL
went past Humboldt University
returning to the West past the
Brandenburg Gate
with a pause to look over the Russian made stacking dolls
to the second grand Opera house
in Berlin
the Deutsche Oper
where we saw The Magic Flute
On another day took the boat tour of Berlin
seeing the new fountain
and visited the antiquities of
the
Pergamon Museum
We met the Costume
designer, Komische Oper,
who
showed us designs from CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
we attended several performances
my
favorite was the
MARRIAGE of FIGARO
we traveled with the U-Bahn
visited the Käthe Kollwitz Museum
saw some of the stately buildings of Berlin
and ended up one evening at Friedrich Strasse
at the Metropol Theater
for a performance of Frau Luna
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church
The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche or Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. The damaged tower is a symbol of Berlin's resolve to rebuild the city after the war and a constant reminder of the destruction of war. It is located at the Breitscheidplatz, the center of former West-Berlin. It is still the commercial center of Berlin, with the Ku'damm shopping street and Europa Center near by.
Built between 1891 and 1895 by Kaiser Wilhelm II, it was a symbol of Prussian
unity and a mark of honor for his grandfather, Kaiser Wilhem I. The neo-romanesque
building was designed by Franz Schwechten.
After allied bombing in November 1943, only the broken west tower of the church
was still standing. Local opposition saved the structure from demolition in the
1950s and in 1961 a new, octagonal church designed by Egon Eiermann was built
alongside the existing tower. A freestanding hexagonal bell tower was
constructed on the site of the former main nave of the destroyed church. A third
and small rectangular building is also part of the new complex. The church is a
reinforced concrete structure with blue-colored glass bricks.
Below the west tower of the destroyed church is a Gedenkhalle or Memorial Hall.
It documents the history of the church and contains several of the original
objects in the church as well as photos from before and after the bombing. Some
of the mosaic decoration and reliefs that survived the bombing can also be seen.
the theater
wardrobe room
from the prop room
