Berlin - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche

The "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche" (aka "Gedächtniskirche") is located in the centre of the Breitscheidplatz amidst high rising modern structures.

The original church on the site was a Neo-Romanesque structure built in the 1890s. It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. It was by not beyond repair as a remnant of the spire and much of the entrance hall survived intact. It was decided to rebuild the church, but the manner in which this should be done was contentiously debated until the late 1950s.

Architect Egon Eiermann initially proposed for the remnant of the old spire to be torn down, in favour of a completely new construction. This provoked a public outcry in which the ruined tower was characterized as the "heart of Berlin". Eiermann revised the design to preserve the ruined tower as a memorial for peace.