Philipp Melanchthon Church (Berlin-Neukölln)
The Philipp Melanchthon Church is a Protestant church in Berlin-Neukölln , Hertastraße 11 / Kranoldstraße 16/17. It was built in a building complex with a rectory and parish hall between 1914 and 1916, repaired after severe damage in the Second World War in 1948/1949 and has been a listed building since 1991 .
history
In the course of industrialization and the massive influx of people, the Evangelical Stadtkirchengemeinde Neukölln became one of the largest urban parishes in Germany with over 200,000 members. This community, divided into five main districts according to the number of its churches, remained until 1948, after which each main district became independent. With the decline in membership, congregations reunited; The congregation of the Philipp Melanchthon Church and the Intercession Church now form the Evangelical Intercession Melanchthon Church Congregation and, together with the Galilee congregation, the Parish Northwest Neukölln in the Evangelical Church District Neukölln.
The construction of the Philipp Melanchthon Church in the part of Neukölln south of the Ringbahn can be traced back to 1904, when the renowned architect Franz Schwechten designed a monumental dome building for 1,100 people for Reuterplatz . However, this representative church building did not materialize for financial reasons.
In January 1909 the land for the Nicodemus Church and the Philipp Melanchthon Church were acquired. The much cheaper Nicodemus Church was built first, then the Philipp Melanchthon Church was tackled. The foundation stone was laid on April 24, 1914, the inauguration on May 23, 1916. The design came from the architect Fritz Gottlob ; the construction costs were around 430,000 marks .
During the First World War , the bronze bells were confiscated and melted down for armament purposes. In 1923 a new bell was raised.
The church was badly damaged in the night of bombing from December 29th to 30th 1943. At the end of the Second World War , the church was completely unusable by artillery fire . In 1948 the reconstruction began, in 1949 the church windows were renewed under the direction of Herbert Noth . In December 1949 the church was consecrated again by Bishop Otto Dibelius . In 1951 the church tower was re-covered and in 1956 the great hall was renovated. Between 1965 and 1966, the church's original bridal hall was converted into a small chapel.
In 1990–1992 the outside and inside of the church and the parish hall were renovated. After the work was completed, the church was consecrated again on November 1, 1992.
building
The Philipp-Melanchthon-Church was built on Kranoldplatz, on the triangular corner lot Hertastraße / Kranoldstraße as a three-wing complex - consisting of a church, parish and parish hall - in a closed construction . The floor plan of the central building shows four arms of equal length like a Greek cross . The square, 68 meter high corner tower with its flat, closed shaft with a high pyramid roof has aedicle-like sound arcades on the bell floor . Three unadorned chilled cast iron bells without a crown from the Franz Weeren ironworks set the bell.
| Pouring year | Chime | Weight (kg) |
Diameter (cm) |
Height (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | f ' | 575 | 107 | 80 |
| 1962 | d ' | 340 | 91 | 67 |
| 1962 | c ' | 800 | 122 | 90 |
The base and the articulating architectural elements were from block-moderate offset and processed stone produced, the areas with about Felsite - porphyry - plaster covered. The gable of the main nave was broken up into a rich pillar structure with cranked cornices , the transept gable in two pairs of windows. The gable fields are flanked by pylons . The beginning of modernity is evident in the architectural design , albeit with echoes of classicism and art nouveau .
inner space
The interior is covered with a star vault, the transept and the rear front are equipped with galleries . In the vestibule there is a statue of Philip Melanchthon , who holds the Bible in his hand.
organ
On April 5, 1964, the new Schuke organ with three manuals , a pedal , 38 registers and 2,700 pipes was inaugurated; it replaces the old Sauer organ . The planning comes from the organ expert Berthold Schwarz (* July 29, 1909, † June 16, 1995):
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For the installation of the new organ, the organ gallery was changed, it had to be reinforced with steel beams . The round window behind the organ was walled up.
literature
- Christine Goetz , Matthias Hoffmann-Tauschwitz: Churches Berlin Potsdam. Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-87554-368-8 , ISBN 3-88981-140-X .
- Günther Kühne, Elisabeth Stephanie: Evangelical churches in Berlin. With an introduction by Oskar Söhngen . C. Z. V. Verlag, Berlin 1978, ISBN 3-7674-0158-4 .
- Klaus-Dieter Wille: The bells of Berlin (West). History and inventory. Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-7861-1443-9 .
- Parish Church Council (ed.): Festschrift 100 years of Ev. Philipp Melanchthon Church. Berlin 2016.
- Parish Councilor Philipp-Melanchthon (Ed.): 1916–1992. Festschrift for the re-inauguration. Berlin 1992.
- Architects and Engineers Association of Berlin (ed.): Sacred buildings (= Berlin and its buildings . Part VI). With contribution from Marcus Cante [u. a.] Ernst & Sohn / Dom Publ., Berlin [a. a.] 1997, ISBN 3-433-01016-1 .
Web links
- Evangelical Church District Neukölln
- Entry in the Berlin State Monument List with further information
Coordinates: 52 ° 27 ′ 57.1 ″ N , 13 ° 26 ′ 2 ″ E