Gendarmenmarkt: the most beautiful and elegant square in Germany
While permanently listening to the violin melody of some street musician, the Schiller statue turns its back on the KonzertHaus and occupies the center of the square, where there is always hustle and bustle but never noise. To the right of the poet, the German Cathedral (Deutscher Dom) of the Lutherans and, to the left of him, the french cathedral **(Französischer Dom) ** of the Huguenots. It is not a combat but, if it had been, the Gauls would win. His was finished earlier despite the fact that both began to be built in 1701. They were identical and very austere buildings and it was years later when the architect Carl von Gontard He was in charge of remodeling and polishing the place, adding a central tower with a dome to each one of them. The exterior is similar but the interior is completely different. While the German is part of the German Bundestag and houses exhibitions and projections dedicated to the history and functioning of the German Parliament, its twin sister serves as a museum of the history of French Protestantism.
Konzerthaus and Französischer Dom
Gendarmenmarkt owes its name to its military use during part of the 18th century and at the end of World War II It was the scene of the confrontation between the Russians and the SS of Nazi Germany. The three buildings needed to be rebuilt after the war, but their successive renovations largely respect their original aesthetics, which look better than ever when they house the christmas market most popular in town.
Panoramic view of the square
Once you know your story, it's good to know that its leisure options are the most complete . On one of its sides is the newton-bar , a place where you can smoke a cigar in a leather armchair and drink a good liquor in front of gigantic mirrors and equally large reproductions of the photographic nudes of Helmut Newton . Just in front, Lutter & Wegner attracts local tourists as does the nearby **Augustiner Bräu München** and your bavarian sausages , a guarantee that both places offer a good opportunity to taste good local wine and beer.
newton-bar
Being just a few meters from the extensive and versatile avenue of Friedrichstrasse category shopping is at your fingertips. Right at the height of Gendarmenmarkt they are located in the great commercial artery of Berlin the luxury shops of the shopping complexes Quarter 205, 206 and 207 and of the Berlin branch of Galeries Lafayette. France and Germany seem inseparable.
The demanding shopping
In addition to haute couture in the area there is also haute cuisine . Two restaurants with michelin stars are in the immediate vicinity. One of them is the classic style of Frischers Fritz, specializing in fish and seafood with influences from nouvelle cuisine (again France) and run by the media Christian Lohse . And in the nearby Jägerstrasse is located without ostentation the restaurant Vau and the cosmopolitan menu of another chef/showman How is it Kolja Kleeberg.
Michelin star bait
Options closer to all pockets are the bistro of Sahn Rahimkahn , the stylist to the stars who is also a successful businessman. Inside the premises, his beauty salon offers haircuts between 50 and 100 euros, while outside it serves succulent brunches with views of the square from Markgraffenstrasse. On the Hausvogteiplatz, Das Mesiterstück is pure German gastronomy: a good selection of wurst and local beer at more than affordable prices. So authentic that there is a deli in the front of the restaurant.
German mountain tradition on the table
Not far from there, the St Hedwigs Cathedral It is the first Catholic church in Berlin after the Lutheran reform and at first glance reminds of the Pantheon in Rome. Its also inevitable reconstruction in the second half of the 20th century has made it a more modern building in its architectural conception. Religious services are offered inside and the view of the dome from the opposite perspective is impressive, although the king of the room is the impressive Cleis organ.
After so many visits in so little space, it is almost obligatory to leave the Gendarmenmarkt with a souvenir of it. markgraffenstrasse . In Das Schasenhaus you will find souvenirs of German folklore. Crochet and wooden puppets in typical Bavarian costume are the stars. In the same street there is a much more modern and obvious option, but equally essential. Here, one of the few official **Ampelmann stores sells hundreds of objects related to the fun and distinctive doll of the city's traffic lights**. It is possible to buy everything from backpacks and umbrellas to scarves to blow your nose with the German Mickey Mouse. You have to be a fan of Ampelmann.
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View from Franzosischer Dom towards Konzerthaus and Deutscher Dom
A scene of confrontations: today, urban beauty