Bugenhagen Church (Hamburg-Barmbek)

Bugenhagenkirche, exterior view

The Bugenhagenkirche is a former Evangelical Lutheran church in the Hamburg district of Barmbek-Süd . It was built from 1927 to 1929 on today's Biedermannplatz according to plans by the architect Emil Heynen , and from 1996 to 1998 it was restored and rebuilt by Bernhard Hirche . In 2004 the Bugenhagenkirche was closed and in 2019 it was de-dedicated.

History of the parish

The village of Barmbek , located northeast of Hamburg, was first mentioned in a document in 1271 and since 1355 has been under the hospital of the Holy Spirit on Rödingsmarkt in Hamburg's old town. In the 19th century, the district, which has belonged to Hamburg since 1894, with its numerous industrial plants developed into a workers' residential area with rapidly growing population. It was not until 1903 that the Holy Spirit Church was established as a separate parish in Barmbek-Süd . As early as 1919, the new parish of West-Barmbek was separated from the mother parish of Alt-Barmbek, for which a new church building was built on Schleidenplatz, today's Biedermannplatz.

Kempe (Wield)
Wetken (ely)
Bugenhagen (Kuöhl)
Buckthorn (Ely)
Ziegenhagen (Wield)

After an architectural competition in 1925, the building was carried out from 1927 to 1929 and inaugurated on March 10, 1929. On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Reformation in Hamburg, the church was named after the reformer Johannes Bugenhagen . In addition to Bugenhagen, five sculptures on the front of the church represent the early Protestant preachers Stephan Kempe and Ziegenhagen as well as the Hamburg Oberalten Wegedorn and Johann Wetken , who were instrumental in the introduction of Protestantism in Hamburg. The sculptures are by the sculptors Richard Kuöhl , Alphons Ely and Friedrich Wield .

The Bugenhagenkirche survived the Second World War with only minor damage. Registered in the Hamburg monument list on July 16, 1992 , the church was extensively restored from 1996 to 1998 due to structural defects and interior blemishes. The church building was expanded to include a theater in the former community room and a public café. After the amalgamation of three parishes in Hamburg-Barmbek, the Bugenhagenkirche was closed in 2004 . At times it was used for theater rehearsals and performances. From 2007 to 2018 the Bulgarian Orthodox community St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Hamburg was temporarily made available. It was de-dedicated in 2019.

architecture

With its powerful architecture, the Bugenhagenkirche is one of the most important Hamburg sacred buildings from the Weimar Republic . The church building is characterized by its distinctive cubic design language as well as the facing with dark red-violet bricks. Architecturally, the building thus follows the ideals of New Building and combines a powerful, modern figure with a functional interior structure. The brick veneer fits into the material canon coined by Fritz Schumacher , which prevailed in Hamburg in the first half of the 20th century.

The church and the parish hall are arranged one above the other, with which the architect Emil Heynen introduced an important innovation in the Hamburg church structure. This functional stacking creates a tall structure with a monumental effect. An outside staircase leads to the level of the church hall and at the same time forms a forecourt shielded from the street. The striking church tower, with its location on Biedermannplatz, appears as an urban dominant that towers above the tower of the neighboring Catholic church. Composed of tapering cubes, the abstractly designed tower shape sets itself apart from classic church building patterns, whereby the building follows a model of the New Building and develops a new form that corresponds to the functional conditions.

inner space

The church hall is also designed in a strict and simple manner. According to the design of the Altona artist Hinrich Groth , the room was painted in blue and white, whereby this strong color contrast represented the only architectural decoration in the soberly kept church interior. The figure of Christ in the apse , painted with blue tones that fade towards the top, was made by the sculptor Ludwig Kunstmann .

After numerous changes to the original concept and age-related structural damage, the Bugenhagen Church was renovated and rebuilt from 1996 to 1998. The design comes from the Hamburg architect Bernhard Hirche . By demolishing a false ceiling above the foyer, a new, spacious entrance hall could be created, which is connected to the church hall level above by a steel staircase. For the first time, an internal connection could be implemented that had previously been lacking in the original concept. The outside staircase, which was shortened in 1935, was restored, and five new windows that were carefully inserted into the facade reveal the newly created Café B'Hagen.

The church hall, which was redesigned in the 1970s, was restored and the historical colors reconstructed. By placing the altar in front of the apse, the original longitudinal orientation of the hall was combined with a central spatial solution that is preferred today. The principal pieces - altar, lectern, baptism - as well as the song book cart were newly made, also based on a design by Bernhard Hirche. Within the church hall, which has been returned to its original version, they form an independent modern canon of forms that reveals the changing interventions.

Despite the renovation measures, which respect the architectural structure of the church and meet the demands of a modern metropolitan community with the functional and spiritual connection of the church, theater and café, the Bugenhagenkirche was abandoned by the community in favor of another church building and has been empty since then. The church hall still exists, but is rarely used in this function.

Since July 2006, the former community hall has been used as a theater by the Employment and Education Association with its Proscenium ensemble. The Kultur Bühne Bugenhagen , KBB for short , has made a name for itself with its own theater plays, revues and musicals .

literature

Andreas von Rauch (Red.): The Bugenhagen Church in Barmbek. An Evangelical Lutheran church building from the 1920s (= Hamburg Monument Preservation. Vol. 6, ZDB -ID 1102304-1 ). Cultural Authority Monument Protection Office, Hamburg 1991.

Evangelical Lutheran Bugenhagen Community: Reconstruction and renovation of the Bugenhagen Church 1996–98. Hamburg 1999.

Web links

Commons : Bugenhagenkirche, Hamburg-Barmbek - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

53.581556 10.03199Coordinates: 53 ° 34 ′ 53.6 ″ N , 10 ° 1 ′ 55.2 ″ E

[1] Bulgarian Orthodox Congregation in Hamburg

[2] Official Journal 2/2020, p. 44