Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church rises on Breitscheidplatz in the western City West district as one of Berlin's most recognisable ruins. The original Romanesque revival church was built in the 1890s and largely destroyed by bombing in 1943, leaving a jagged, hollow spire deliberately preserved as an anti-war memorial. Beside it stands a modern octagonal hall from the 1960s whose walls of blue stained glass glow richly when lit. Locals call the damaged tower the hollow tooth, a symbol of wartime loss and reconstruction.