Philharmonie, Berlin

Philharmonie is a concert hall and the home of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Look at its striking, asymmetrical silhouette: the building rises like a tent, while the concert hall inside has a pentagonal form. Hans Scharoun designed it, and the building belongs to Rationalismus.

Its unusual seating places the orchestra on a platform encircled by terraces, bringing the audience close from every side. This arrangement became an influential model for later concert halls around the world. The Philharmonie opened on 15 October 1963, with Herbert von Karajan conducting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

It replaced an earlier hall destroyed by an air raid on 30 January 1944. The present building was constructed from 1960 to 1963 as part of Berlin’s planned Kulturforum, and it took 37 months to complete. Its exterior received gold-coloured aluminium panels between 1979 and 1981, giving the concrete structure a shimmering skin.

Beside the main venue is the Chamber Music Hall, designed from Scharoun’s earlier concept and opened on 28 October 1987. Together, the venues offer spaces for the resident orchestra, visiting ensembles, recitals, and chamber music. A fire damaged part of the roof on 20 May 2008, but concerts resumed on 1 June that year.