St. Hedwig's Cathedral Berlin: free visit of the renovated Catholic cathedral

Updated on October 5, 2026

St. Hedwig's Cathedral (St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale) stands on Bebelplatz, opposite the State Opera, in the Mitte district. It is the main church of Berlin's Catholics. Frederick II had it built from 1747 for the Catholics of Silesia, whom Prussia had just conquered; its circular plan, topped by a dome, was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Destroyed by the bombing of 1943, it was rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s, then completely renovated from 2018: it reopened at the end of 2024, with a pared-back, bright white interior. Admission is free. The cathedral is open every day, but only in the afternoon on Sunday (13:00 to 18:00) and until 20:00 on Friday. Allow half an hour to forty-five minutes for the visit.

Highlights

The renovated rotunda

The circular nave, luminously white, is ringed with columns and opens up to the dome. The seats are arranged in circles around the altar, in the middle of the hall. The result of the renovation is a very sober space, far from the Baroque decoration you expect in a cathedral.

The tall arched windows

Between the columns, tall bays let light fall on the pale walls. In this calm atmosphere you notice the altar and the contemporary liturgical furnishings installed during the renovation.

The crypt

Beneath the church, the crypt holds the tomb of Bernhard Lichtenberg, provost of the cathedral, who died in 1943 for having opposed the Nazi persecutions and was beatified in 1996. It closes 15 minutes before the church.

Bebelplatz

In front of the cathedral, the square is the site of the 1933 book burning and of Micha Ullman's "Bibliothek" memorial: see our guide to Mitte. It is lined by the State Opera and by Humboldt University.

Practical info

Tips

Admission is free, but there are no public toilets in the cathedral. Services are held Monday to Saturday at 08:00 and 18:00 (at 20:00 on Friday), and on Sunday at 08:00, 10:00, 12:00 and 18:00: during a service, keep a low profile. Hours may vary on public holidays and for events: check the cathedral's calendar before you go. It fits easily into a walk between Museum Island, the Protestant Berlin Cathedral and the Gendarmenmarkt; our guide to churches and places of worship compares them.

How to get there

Hinter der Katholischen Kirche 3, 10117 Berlin (Bebelplatz). U-Bahn U6, Französische Straße station, or U5, Museumsinsel station. Bus 100 and 300, Staatsoper stop. More details in our guide to public transport in Berlin.