page_title: Geography of Berlin
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of Berlin / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: Berlin, Potsdamer Platz
context_page_description: Berlin is the capital city of Germany and one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million people, Berlin is the second most populous city proper, the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union, and the largest German city.
  Located in northeastern Germany on the River Spree, it is the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, which has about 6 million residents from over 180 nations.
  Due to its location in the European Plain, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes. Berlin is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg.
context_section_description: The Fernsehturm (TV tower) at Alexanderplatz in Mitte is among the tallest structures in the European Union at 368 meters (1,207 ft). Built in 1969, it is visible throughout most of the central districts of Berlin. The city can be viewed from its 204 m (669 ft)-high observation floor. Starting here, the Karl-Marx-Allee heads east, an avenue lined by monumental residential buildings, designed in the Socialist Classicism style of the Joseph Stalin era. Adjacent to this area is the Rotes Rathaus ("City Hall"), with its distinctive red-brick architecture. In front of the Rotes Rathaus is the Neptunbrunnen, a fountain featuring a mythological group of Tritons, personifications of the four main Prussian rivers, with Neptune situated on top of it.
  The East Side Gallery is an open-air exhibition of art painted directly on the last existing portions of the Berlin Wall. It is the largest remaining evidence of the city's historical division and the inauguration of its restoration occurred in November 2009; the restoration project cost the Berlin city government more than €2 million.
  Berlin's Brandenburg Gate is an iconic landmark of Germany and appears on Germany's euro coins (10 cent, 20 cent, and 50 cent). The Reichstag building is the traditional seat of the German Parliament, renovated in the 1950s after severe damage sustained during World War II. The building was again remodeled by British architect, Sir Norman Foster, in 1999, and features a glass dome over the session area, which allows free public access to the parliamentary proceedings and magnificent views of the city.
  The Gendarmenmarkt, a neoclassical square in Berlin whose name dates back to the quarters of the famous Gens d'armes regiment located here in the 18th century, is bordered by two similarly designed cathedrals, the Französischer Dom with its observation platform and the Deutscher Dom. The Konzerthaus (Concert Hall), home of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, stands between the two cathedrals.
  The Museum Island, in the River Spree, houses five museums, built between 1830 and 1930, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restoration and the construction of a main entrance to all museums, as well as the reconstruction of the Stadtschloss on the same island is costing over 2 billion Euros since reunification. Also located on the island, and adjacent to the Lustgarten and palace, is Berlin Cathedral, emperor William II's ambitious attempt to create a Protestant counterpart to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. A large crypt in the church houses the remains of some members of the earlier Prussian royal family and the church is now owned by the Protestant umbrella organization, Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK). Like many other buildings, the Berlin Cathedral suffered extensive damage during World War II and was later restored. Berlin's best preserved medieval church, the Church of St. Mary's, is the first preaching venue—Memorial Church being the second—of the Bishop of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO), a Protestant regional church body. St. Hedwig's Cathedral is Berlin's most prominent Roman Catholic cathedral.
  Unter den Linden is a tree-lined east–west avenue that extends from the Brandenburg Gate to the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss, and was Berlin's premier promenade in the nineteenth century. Many classical buildings line the street and part of Humboldt University is located there. Friedrichstraße was Berlin's legendary street during the "Roaring Twenties" and today, it combines twentieth-century traditions with the modern architecture of contemporary Berlin. Places of significance in the area include the Admiralspalast, the Friedrichstadt Palast, and the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, home to the Berliner Ensemble.
  Potsdamer Platz is a quarter that was built in its entirety after the Berlin Wall was deconstructed in 1995. To the west of Potsdamer Platz is the Kulturforum, which houses the Gemäldegalerie, and is flanked by the Neue Nationalgalerie and the Berliner Philharmonie. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Euro
caption: Potsdamer Platz at night
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