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Coventry Crucifix<br />
This small crucifix was forged from<br />
old nails that were found in the ruins of<br />
Coventry Cathedral. It commemorates<br />
the bombing of Coventry, England, by<br />
the German Luftwaffe in 1940.<br />
Original Mosaics<br />
Mosaics showing Prussian<br />
dukes are preserved on<br />
the walls and ceilings all<br />
along the stairways.<br />
Figure of Christ<br />
Miraculously, the vast, plain<br />
sculpture of Christ, which is<br />
suspended from the ceiling, survived<br />
the bombing of the church.<br />
Main Altar<br />
The golden figure of Christ<br />
created by Karl Hemmeter is<br />
suspended above the modern<br />
main altar in the new church. In<br />
the evening light, the windows<br />
behind the altar glow an overwhelming<br />
dark blue.<br />
For more on Berlin churches see pp44–5<br />
New<br />
Bell Tower<br />
The new hexagonal bell<br />
tower rises 53 m (174 ft)<br />
high next to the tower<br />
ruins, on the site of the<br />
old church’s main nave.<br />
Tower Clock<br />
The tower bears a clock<br />
based on a Classical design,<br />
with Roman numerals. At<br />
night, it is lit in blue by<br />
modern light-emitting<br />
diodes to match the<br />
lighting inside the<br />
new church.<br />
The Orthodox<br />
Cross<br />
A gift from the Russian<br />
Orthodox bishops<br />
of Volokolomsk and<br />
Yuruyev, this cross<br />
was given in memory of<br />
the victims of Nazism.<br />
A Church with<br />
Two Lives<br />
The Kaiser-Wilhelm-<br />
Gedächtnis-Kirche has<br />
the Berliners to thank<br />
for its preservation:<br />
in 1947, the Senate had<br />
planned to demolish<br />
the Tower Ruins for<br />
safety reasons. In a referendum<br />
only about ten<br />
years later, however,<br />
one in two Berliners<br />
voted for its preservation.<br />
And so the idea<br />
came about to build a<br />
new church next to the<br />
ruin and to preserve<br />
the vestibule of the old<br />
church as a striking<br />
memorial hall to the<br />
horrors of war.<br />
Berlin’s Top 10<br />
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