Chapel of the Baptists in Schleswig
The Baptist Chapel in Schleswig is the oldest Baptist church building in Schleswig-Holstein and one of the oldest in Germany. It was built in 1877 and is located in the city center of Schleswig .
Building history
The building has been rebuilt and expanded several times in its long history.
After the purchase of the property from the teacher Lücke at the end of November 1876, it was decided on December 31st to build a chapel on the associated garden area. The house and the stable on the Stadtweg 80 plot were sold. Construction began on July 2, 1877, the first service took place in the prayer hall on October 7, and the festive inauguration took place on December 23, 1877.
Inauguration ceremony
The main celebration of the inauguration took place in the presence of brothers and sisters from the Baptist congregations Altona (preacher brother Ch. Rode), Elmshorn (brother Gornig) and Tangstedt (brothers Krogmann and Wriedt) and many citizens of Schleswig, such as the Baron von Plessen, the royal district administrator, the Upper Government Councilor Gehrmann and the heads of the municipal authorities and the teachers of the grammar school. The festivities began the evening before with a sermon by the preacher, Brother Ch. Rode. The next day a prayer hour followed the reading of the church history by Cl. Peters jun. Brother Rode held the festive sermon on the subject of "The Christian community, the house of the Lord", the afternoon sermon Cl. Peters jun. about the words Pauli on the place of execution. This was followed by the Holy Baptism of six people and the Lord's Supper , before a final sermon from Brother Rode closed the day. The celebrations ended on Monday with a love feast.
Rebuilt in 1906
After the lighting had already been improved around 1897/1900 by installing "six flames" in the chapel and "two flames" (presumably alcohol lamps) outside, the kitchen and basement rooms were renovated in 1906.
Rebuilt in 1967
During the renovation in 1967, the prayer room was significantly redesigned. The wooden vestibule in the prayer room was torn down and the entrance relocated. A small vestibule was built in front of the new entrance on the east side of the chapel.
In the prayer room, the baptismal font previously hidden under planks in the floor was filled in and replaced by an open basin on the north side. Several window openings were walled up and replaced by a floor-to-ceiling, colorfully glazed large window in the west wall and smaller windows in the south wall, some of which were provided with colorful glass blocks. The ceiling of the hall was hung with wood. The north side with the passage to the "Bible Study Room" received a filigree partial front wall with the cross, a new pulpit and a new altar table. In addition, the electrical lines and the water systems were renewed and all rooms were renovated.
Reconstruction in 1976
Due to the changed demands on community work, group rooms with a usable area of about 100 m², sanitary rooms and a tea kitchen were built into the attic, which was set up as a "widow's asylum" when the chapel was built. For this, it was necessary to reinforce the chapel ceiling with a steel girder construction. The Bible study room to the north of the prayer room also had large windows made of glass blocks facing Michaelisallee. The staircase, which previously only consisted of a narrow staircase to the upper floor with the castellan's apartment and a spiral wooden staircase to the top floor, was replaced by a massive staircase. The toilets originally located in the basement were moved to a sanitary wing attached to the vestibule.
The facade and the outdoor facilities were also significantly redesigned. The east gable of the transverse tract was rebuilt in the course of the staircase construction and crumbling facade parts were clinkered. The external staircase to the basement has been relocated and the forecourt on Michaelisallee has been redesigned with exposed aggregate concrete slabs and steps.
The heating of the castellan's apartment was renewed, all windows replaced and the electrical installation completely renewed.
A considerable part of the construction work, in particular the structurally complicated conversions of the top floor and the installation of the windows, were largely carried out by the community members themselves.
literature
- Arno Kallweit: Schleswig's Baptist Chronicle 1856-2006 in the mirror of German-Danish history. Using handwritten biographical memories of the co-founder of the Baptist congregation Schleswig Claus Peters , Berlin 2006. ISBN 978-3-932356-75-9 .
Web links
Coordinates: 54 ° 30 '57.06 " N , 9 ° 33' 27.05" O