Exhibitions and guided tours around the French Cathedral

The special exhibition ‘Two Domes over Berlin’ displays historical photos of the striking domed towers, including original works by the well-known Berlin cityscape photographer Leopold Ahrendts from the 1850s. Guided tours of the sculptures adorning the two towers are also offered, as well as tours of the Eule organ in the French Friedrichstadt Church, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Organ recitals and church services invite visitors to experience the sound of this special instrument and the atmosphere in the first independent church of the Huguenot community in Berlin.

In the Huguenot Museum, visitors can discover the history of French religious refugees in Berlin from the French Wars of Religion to the present day. The special exhibition ‘Emilie 200’ on the 200th birthday of Emilie Fontane offers an insight into the life of an extraordinary woman and her marriage to Theodor Fontane.

Programme

Guided tour: The Eule organ of the French Friedrichstadt Church On 15 September 1985, the organ built by the Hermann Eule organ workshop in Bautzen was inaugurated. As Dietmar Hiller and Kilian Nauhaus demonstrate, this is a very special organ that has been attracting many friends of organ music from Berlin and far beyond to the French Friedrichstadtkirche for decades.
Sat, 13 Sept, 1 p.m. / Sun, 14 Sept, 12.15 p.m. Meeting point: Church hall (entrance on Charlottenstraße) Registration required by email: buero@franzoesische-kirche.de


Guided tour: The tower dwellers – Sculptural decorations by Chodowiecki and Rode for the Gendarmenmarkt Art guide Philipp Kühnhackl presents the rich sculptural decorations of the two towers, which are based on design drawings by artists Bernhard Rode (1725-1797) and Daniel Chodowiecki (1725-1801), who were known far beyond Prussia. Prophets, apostles, scenes from the life of Christ and allegories of virtue form a complex pictorial programme reflecting the Protestant-Reformed self-image in Prussia.
Sat, 13 Sept, 2 p.m. / Sun, 14 Sept, 5 p.m. Meeting point: German Cathedral (main entrance) Registration required by email: buero@franzoesische-kirche.de


Photo exhibition ‘Two domes over Berlin. Historical photographs of the Gendarmenmarkt between 1850 and 1980’ The exhibition, created in collaboration with the German Bundestag's Parliamentary History Exhibition in the German Cathedral, can be seen at two historical locations on the Gendarmenmarkt: in the church hall of the French Friedrichstadt Church and in the rotunda of the German Cathedral. The double exhibition shows pictures from the archives of the French Church in Berlin, the archives of the German Cathedral and the renowned Feuerhorst Collection. You will learn about the eventful history of the square between the two domed towers – from the erection of the Schiller monument in the 1850s to its reconstruction in the 1980s. A special highlight are early photographs by Berlin architect and cityscape photographer Leopold Ahrendts (1825-1870).

Sat, 13 Sept, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. / Sun, 14 Sept, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The exhibition is open until 5 October 2025. Church hall (entrance on Charlottenstraße) Huguenot Museum (entrance on Gendarmenmarkt)


Permanent exhibition and special exhibition ‘Emilie 200’

Sat + Sun, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. French Friedrichstadt Church (entrance on Charlottenstraße) Open church
Saturday, 13 September, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. / Sunday, 14 September, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organ recital
Saturday, 13 September, 12.30 p.m. Musical church service
Saturday, 13 September, 3.30 p.m. Church service
Sunday, 14 September, 11 a.m.