Berlin Philharmonic

The Berlin Philharmonic ( German Berliner Philharmonie ) is one of the most famous concert halls in the world on Kemperplatz ( German Kemperplatz ) in the Tiergarten district of Berlin . The building of the Philharmonic was built for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1960-1963 by the architect Hans Bernhard Sharun and was solemnly opened on October 15, 1963. The Berlin Philharmonic was the first building in the project of the Berlin Cultural Forum . In 1984-1987, in accordance with the initial plan of Sharun, the Chamber Music Hall was built next to the Berlin Philharmonic in accordance with the project of the architect Edgar Wisniewski , connecting to the Philharmonic Hall. Not far from the Berlin Philharmonic is the New National Gallery , Potsdamer Platz and the second building of the State Library , also designed by Sharun.

Model of the Berlin Philharmonic (left) and the Chamber Music Hall (right)

The gleaming concrete building from afar has already attracted attention with its asymmetric shape and color. Outwardly, the Philharmonic resembles a circus - big top , and since Herbert von Karayan was directly involved in its creation, the Berliners gave him the nickname "Karayan Circus" ( German: Karajan-Zirkus ). The pentagonal Philharmonic Hall - the "Great Hall" (unlike the "small" - Chamber Music Hall) is the largest concert hall in Berlin and has a capacity of 2440 seats. The length of the hall is 60 m, the width is 55 m, the height with a podium is 21 m. The Philharmonic Hall has an unusual interior. The stage was moved to the center of the hall, and the orchestra, as in the arena, is surrounded on all sides by an audience located on the different-level terraces of the lodges. Acoustic problems were perfectly resolved due to the special design of the walls and soft upholstery of the ceiling.

Chamber music room in the snow

May 20, 2008, presumably, during a welding operation on a metal roof over the Great Hall of the Philharmonic, a major fire broke out. The interior was practically unaffected by the fire, and in June the Berlin Philharmonic Society resumed its work .