Berlin: Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Star Architect. A City Tour｜Germany

Karl Friedrich Schinkel was as well versed in Greek and Roman architecture as he was in the Gothic and Renaissance styles. However, as an architect, he did not simply copy the older styles. Instead, he devised technically new, innovative designs and closely integrated them with stylistic elements from the past. The result was, among other things, numerous buildings designed to meet the needs of the emerging bourgeois society – such as the Schauspielhaus am Gendarmenmarkt, where the tour begins, Berlin's first museum, and the Bauakademie, within sight of the city palace.

Schinkel drew inspiration from antiquity and the Middle Ages and designed buildings for the 19th century. Architects such as Mies van der Rohe and Peter Behrens studied his work and drew conclusions from it for 20th-century architecture. In this way, Schinkel's influence extended far into the future.

The tour takes us to the historic center of Berlin, to the place where Berlin was founded.