St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square, today serves as a museum. It was built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible, and it’s full name is the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat.
One end of Moscow’s famous Red Square: The Kremlin and Lenin’s Tomb (left); State Historical Museum (center); and the enormous GUM Department Store (right).
Memorial at Philharmonie in Berlin, former site of the headquarters of Aktion T4, the agency that ordered “euthanasia” of people with mental disabilities or illnesses during the Third Reich, on the the National Socialist government. During my visit, dozens of Berliners filed past the photos and documentation in utter silence.
Konzerthaus Berlin, located on Gendarmenmarkt square near the historic center of the city, is considered to be one of the five best concert venues in the world due to its excellent acoustics. During the Christmas holidays, the Gendarmenmarkt hosts one of Berlin’s most popular Christmas markets.
The Berliner Dom (Protestant Cathedral in Berlin) features a dome decorated with mosaics, stained glass windows by Anton von Werner, massive pipe organ, Neo-Baroque pulpit, and crypt with more than 80 sarcophagi of Prussian royals. It is well worth the 270-step climb to the top of the dome to take in the views over Berlin.
