die kirche - church

everything old is new again.

dan's aunt has been here for the last few days so we have been busy with all the fun touristy things to do in berlin. we have seen the brandenburg gate many times now, but with each guest we see a few new things, and today was no exception. this afternoon we went into the berliner dom.

the berliner dom was the main church in berlin from 1450 (best we can tell from the literature - which is in english but not very clear) until the separation of church and state in 1918. it was originally a catholic church until 1539 when Luther introduced protestant reform to the king. so then everyone was lutheran.

during world war II it was basically destroyed by air raids. services were conducted in the crypt. during the years of separation the dom served only the population of east berlin, then in 1975 reconstruction finally started. bits and pieces were reopened as they were completed and the entire thing was finished in 1999.

the reconstruction makes visiting the dom a really different experience than seeing some other european church. it's so clean! everything is new, but built to look like it did centuries ago. even the crypt is spotless and virtually dust-free. it was just weird to see tombs from the 17th and 18th centuries that are sparkling. call me crazy, but i like my crypts a little creepier.

that is not to say that it isn't as beautiful as most every european cathedral. the organ is huge and stunning, and the dome's stained glass window is sufficiently gothic. the interesting upstairs museum houses the models used to recreate the original architecture and all of the blue-prints and plaster casts. i hadn't actually had the dom on my list of things i felt i had to see in berlin, but i am really glad that we went. it will now be on my list of things future guests should see.