Religion in Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany, and it is home to people from many different backgrounds and beliefs. In 2022, most people in Berlin—about 72%—did not belong to any particular religion. This means that the city is very diverse when it comes to beliefs and values.

Among those who do follow a religion, the largest groups are EKD Protestants and Catholics. In 2022, about 12.6% of people in Berlin were registered as EKD Protestants, and around 7.3% were Catholics. There are also communities of Islam, with about 4% of the population, and smaller groups like Jewish people, making up about 1% of the city.

Over the years, the number of people identifying with Christianity in Berlin has gone down. In 2010, about 30% of Berliners identified as Christian, but by 2022, this number had fallen to just 15% for registered church members. This shows how beliefs and traditions in Berlin are always changing and evolving.

Irreligion

Berlin is often called the "atheist capital of Europe" because many people there do not follow a religion.

In 2009, people in Berlin voted on whether students should choose between learning about ethics or a religion class. More than half voted to keep ethics as a required class, while still allowing students to take a religion class if they wanted. Many people in East Berlin voted against adding religion classes. There are also groups in Berlin that support ways of thinking that do not include religion, like the Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, which was started in Berlin in 1993.

Christianity

The Protestant church in Berlin is called the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO). It includes many Lutheran, a few Reformed, and United Protestant groups. In 2010, about 18.7 percent of Berlin’s people were part of this church.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin was created in 1994. In 2010, around 9.1 percent of Berlin’s people were Roman Catholic.

About 2.7 percent of Berlin’s people in 2010 belonged to other Christian groups, mostly Eastern Orthodox. Berlin has important Orthodox cathedrals, such as the Cathedral of St. Boris the Baptist and the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral.

Protestant Church

Main article: Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia

Roman Catholic Church

Main article: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin

Orthodox Church

Islam

In 2009, Islamic groups in Berlin said there were about 249,000 members. By the end of 2015, around 352,667 people in Berlin had come from Arabic or Islamic countries after 1955, with many from Turkey.

The Berlin Mosque in Berlin is Germany's oldest mosque still in use. It was built between 1923 and 1925 and has two tall towers called minarets. The Sehitlik Mosque, built in 1983, is the largest mosque in Berlin and also works as a cultural center. It can welcome up to 1,500 people.

Judaism

Berlin is home to a growing Jewish community, with around 30,000 to 45,000 Jewish residents as of 2014. Many of these residents come from Russia, Eastern Europe, Israel, and German Jewish backgrounds. About 12,000 are part of Jewish religious groups.

Important Jewish places, like the Centrum Judaicum and several synagogues, have been fixed up and opened again since 2007. Berlin holds events celebrating Jewish culture, which helps show that Jewish life is strong there once more. The Neue Synagoge ("New Synagogue") is a famous old building from the 1800s, known for its special design inspired by the Alhambra. It was the main synagogue for the Berlin Jewish community and remains an important landmark on Oranienburger Straße.

Buddhism

In 1924, a man named Dr. Paul Dahlke started the first Buddhist monastery in Germany, called "Das Buddhistische Haus" in a place named Reinickendorf. It is one of the oldest and biggest centers for a type of Buddhism called Theravada in all of Europe and is very important historically.

The first temple for a kind of Buddhism from Thailand opened in Berlin on April 16, 1995. It is located in a neighborhood called Pankow and is managed by a group of people who follow Thai Buddhism. The temple was built with the help of a Buddhist leader from Bangkok.

Places of worship

Berlin has many special buildings where people gather to practice their faiths. There are 36 Baptist groups, 29 New Apostolic Churches, 15 United Methodist churches, and several other Christian groups. There are also eight Free Evangelical Congregations, four Churches of Christ, Scientist, and six congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Berlin is also home to an Old Catholic church and an Anglican church. The Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church has eight different parishes in the city.

The city has more than 80 mosques for Muslim worship, along with two Buddhist temples and three Hindu temples.

Interfaith initiatives

In recent years, Berlin has seen more programs that bring together people of different religions. One famous project is the House of One, which aims to create a shared space where followers of various religions can gather.

In 2016, Berlin held its first Interfaith Music Festival, called “Festival der Religionen.” This event featured live music and dance from artists representing 13 different religions. The festival also included a fair where people could learn more about each other’s beliefs and several exhibitions about faith topics.