The Gendarmenmarkt is a square in Berlin,
and the site of the Konzerthaus and
the French and German Cathedrals.
In the centre of the square is a statue of Germany's poetFriedrich Schiller.The square was
created by Johann Arnold Nering at the end of the seventeenth century
as the Linden-Markt and reconstructed by Georg Christian Unger in 1773. The Gendarmenmarkt is
named after the cuirassier 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 have been restored to their
former state.
The French Cathedral (in German: Französischer
Dom) the older of the two cathedrals, was built by the Huguenot community
between 1701 and 1705. The cathedral was modelled after the destroyed Huguenot
church in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, France. The tower and porticoes,
designed by Carl von Gontard, were added to the building in 1785. The French
cathedral has a viewing platform, a restaurant and a Huguenot museum.
The German Cathedral (in German: Deutscher
Dom) is located in the south of the Gendarmenmarkt. It has a pentagonal structure
and was designed by Martin Grünberg and built in 1708 by Giovanni
Simonetti. It too was modified in 1785 by Carl von Gontard, who built the domed
tower. The German Cathedral was completely destroyed by fire in 1945, during World
War II. After German reunification it was rebuilt, finished in 1993
and re-opened in 1996 as a museum of German history.
Thank you Marco for this lovely card.
