Built between 1901 and 1908, the red brick cathedral-like complex of the Märkisches Museum holds a history of Berlin as distinctive as its residents. Instead of a straightforward history lesson, expect a variety of themed rooms that give visitors a glimpse of the life, work, and culture of Berlin.
The museum, just steps away from the banks of the river Spree, explores the at times tumultuous evolution of this historic city and the nearby Brandenburg region through coins, weapons, posters, city models, sculpture, and more. Favourites include the tour of mechanical musical instruments, presented every Sunday at 3pm, and the seven original graffiti-bedecked segments of the Berlin Wall.
Also notable is the Kaiserpanorama, in its day one of the most technologically advanced and awe-inspiring forms of entertainment. This stereoscope dating from the 1880’s offers a 3-D show of images to up to 25 people at a time. The Märkisches Museum is the headquarters of Berlin’s City Museum Foundation, which holds more than 4 million artworks and documents; on display in this neo-Gothic architectural collage is a rich sampling of this collection.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.