Berlin | The Afterglow of the 19th Century at Gendarmenmarkt

It's quite challenging to find authentic old-money architecture in Berlin, as the city was heavily bombed during World War II. The area in Berlin that resembles Vienna must be Gendarmenmarkt. The concert hall I often visit (Konzerthaus), originally designed by Langhans, the architect of the Brandenburg Gate, and built in 1802, was unfortunately destroyed by a fire just 15 years later. Later, the renowned designer and master of European classicism, Schinkel, took over and designed the current version of the concert hall. Although it was also destroyed by war during World War II, it was rebuilt while maintaining the 19th-century classical style. Nowadays, when people think of Berlin's concert halls, they immediately think of the Berlin Philharmonic, which was initially considered ugly by Berliners when it was first built. However, historically, the Berlin Konzerthaus holds a very important position: for instance, Weber's famous opera "Der Freischütz" premiered here globally, and Wagner himself once conducted "The Flying Dutchman" here. Perhaps due to its long history, the atmosphere of the Berlin Konzerthaus is indeed different from that of the Berlin Philharmonic and the three major opera houses. Based on my observations, people who come to watch performances here dress more elegantly than elsewhere. I was dressed quite casually. Once, during an intermission, I went out for some fresh air and was questioned by a formally dressed staff member when I tried to re-enter, as I stood out from the elegantly dressed audience. At that time, I was immature and would get angry about such things. Moreover, the performance that day was quite average, not even as enjoyable as the open-air concert I heard at the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market while I was out taking a breather. So, for a long time after that, I didn't want to go to the Konzerthaus for performances. I preferred the plain-clothed, chatty volunteer grandmothers at the Berlin Philharmonic. Despite being such a high-end and aloof concert hall, the then-music director of the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, Ivan Fischer, was a down-to-earth and playful conductor. #Berlin #WorthwhileConcertHall #GreatSpotInBerlin #Konzerthaus #BerlinLife #ClassicalMusic #ConcertHall #IvanFischer #Gendarmenmarkt