Emperor William Memorial Church Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche

Adjoining the modern church (by Egon Eiermann, 1959-61) stands the 63m/207ft-high ruined tower of the old Neo-Romanesque Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin's Charlottenburg district, built in 1891-95 (architect Franz Schwechten) in honor of the Emperor William I, which was destroyed in an air attack on Nov. 23, 1943. Years after the war, the question arose of demolishing the stump of the tower and building a completely new church. However, the Berliners wanted to retain their old church, or what remained of it. Accordingly, Egon Eiermann incorporated the ruined tower in the new complex he designed, consisting of a blue-glazed octagon and a hexagonal tower (with a "Third World Shop" at the bottom). The Memorial Church has thus become a major Berlin landmark and a war memorial at the same time. The ruins of the old tower have since been repaired several times, and in early 1987 a memorial hall was installed inside it as a plea against war and destruction and for reconciliation (mosaic remains, architectural remnants, photos). The centerpiece is a figure of Christ from the old church and a Cross of Nails from Coventry Cathedral which was destroyed by German bombs in the Second World War.