Saint Sophia’s Church

Listed as a historic monument, the small Baroque church before you is Saint Sophia’s Church. It is named after Princess Sophia Louise, the wife of King Frederick I, who commissioned its construction in 1712. At the time, it was the very first church built in the new suburb of Spandauer Vorstadt.
The Baroque tower, added in the 1730s, is the only one of its kind in Berlin.
The church is best known today for being the only one in Berlin to emerge unscathed from World War II .
It also holds a special place in history as Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech here on September 13, 1964, during his visit to East Berlin. He reminded everyone that no man-made barrier could erase the fact that God’s children lived on both sides of the wall. His visit, although kept secret, drew a full house. He was the first civil rights activist to visit the GDR. He encouraged the faithful by telling them that where men tear down the walls of hostility that separate them from their peers, there is Christ, who continues his work of reconciliation. He would receive the Nobel Peace Prize that same year and would be assassinated 4 years later. Surrounding the church is a small cemetery, which contains numerous tombstones from the 18th century and houses the remains of several prominent German personalities.