Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, Protestant church on Breitscheidplatz, Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church brings together the damaged original tower with modern buildings made of concrete and blue-tinted glass panels in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. The old tower reaches a height of 71 meters and forms an ensemble with the new structures on Breitscheidplatz.
The church was completed in 1895 under Kaiser Wilhelm II as a tribute to his grandfather Wilhelm I. In November 1943 the building suffered severe damage during an air raid in World War II that destroyed much of the original structure.
Inside the memorial hall at the base of the old tower, mosaics depict biblical scenes and moments from the life of Kaiser Wilhelm I. The chapel now serves as a place for quiet reflection and prayer amid the busy shopping district.
The church opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00 and admission is free, with guided tours available in several languages. The Kurfürstendamm metro station sits nearby and provides easy access to the site.
Berliners nickname the new church and its hexagonal belfry "Lippenstift und Puderdose" (lipstick and powder box), while the jagged ruin of the old 113-metre spire is "der hohle Zahn", the hollow tooth. The belfry's concrete honeycomb holds 21,292 stained-glass inlays designed by Gabriel Loire, coloured after the windows of Chartres Cathedral.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,317 contributors worldwide.
