Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Bombed neo-Romanesque church tower left deliberately in ruins beside a modern octagonal hall of blue glass.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin follows the night of November 23rd, 1943, when British bombing left this then-tallest building in the city a jagged, burned-out shell. You'll hear how Berliners nicknamed the ruin the hollow tooth, and how public backlash forced architect Egon Eiermann to abandon his plan to tear it down and build his new church beside the wound instead. Listen for the story behind the cross inside, made from nails salvaged from a bombed English cathedral.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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