The term "Dom" often causes confusion. The German word normally means "cathedral", but in the case of the two buildings on "Gendarmenmarkt" it refers not to the churches themselves, but to the architectural form of the dome. In 1688 the new market or Friedrichstadt market was established and two churches were built next to it. To the north was the French church for the Huguenot community in Berlin. To the south of the market, the "Neue Kirche" (new church) was built, which was only later referred to as the German church.

In 1774, Frederic the Great decided to enlarge the square and make it more attractive. He commissioned to build two nonfunctional domes for the existing churches. The identical domes were built in 1780-85 and had no inner connection with the churches.