French Cathedral

The counterpart to the equally impressive Berlin Cathedral Church, also in the Gendarmenmarkt, is the French Cathedral (Französischer Dom). Consisting of the Friedrichstadt Church and the domed tower, which was added later, the French Cathedral was built in 1705 for the substantial Huguenot community that had settled in Berlin in 1685. Highlights include the 70-meter-high tower with its five-octave carillon (its 60 bells are rung by means of a keyboard), the 20-meter Tower Rooms (Turmstuben), and a 40-meter-high viewing balustrade with excellent panoramic views of Berlin. The redesigned ground floor of the church houses the Huguenot Museum, with exhibits illustrating the history of the Huguenots in France and Berlin.