Berlin
'God's power station': an Expressionist masterpiece
Berliners know it as 'God's power station' (Kraftwerk Gottes), and it's easy to see why.
From a distance, in particular, the dark-brick bulk of the Church at Hohenzollerndammplatz clearly resembles a brooding industrial monolith.
Get closer, however, and this masterpiece of Expressionist architecture - completed in 1933 to designs by Ossip Klarwein and Fritz Höger - starts to reveal unexpected subtleties.
Turret-like towers flank a dramatically arched entranceway, the symmetries starkly perfect yet relieved by rhythmic patterning. And by the time you reach the main portal, you're likely to be entirely seduced.
Rich mosaic surrounds the entrance doors, and threads of gold tiling course through the seams of the brickwork itself.
It's an extraordinarily delicate and inspired touch, transforming the humblest, most utilitarian building material into a glittering network of light (a theme that's continued on the main facade, where barely discernible gold-leaf is interspersed over the brick walls).
Inside, too, the carefully calibrated spectacle continues, with a series of steeply pointed arches illuminated by the rainbow hues of simple stained glass windows.
We're convinced: this isn't just one of Berlin's most spectacular buildings, it's one of the world's great architectural classics.
See also:
An extraordinary Berlin church
From Brutalism to the Baroque: a trio of churches
Further facts
Although the interior of the church is rarely accessible except for services, it also provides a venue for a wide variety of concerts, including the acclaimed Saturday lunchtime 'Noonsong' choral renditions.
Church at Hohenzollerndammplatz: Hohenzollerndamm 202, Berlin 10717
Noonsong Saturday lunchtime concerts
