Evangelical Church (Gonzenheim)

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Evangelical Church Gonzenheim
entrance

The Protestant church in the Gonzenheim district of Bad Homburg vor der Höhe is a church building in the Hochtaunus district .

history

In 1447 a pastor was mentioned in Gonzenheim, from which it can be concluded that a church existed. However, this cannot be proven with documents. It is certain that in 1570 there was a church building in the same place as it is today, which was expanded or rebuilt several times. In 1686 a new church tower with a baroque dome was built, in which two bells were hung in March 1687.

In 1838 the condition of the tower caused concern, the church itself was narrow and low, the tower was dilapidated, but the financial situation of the community was poor. Pastor Rühl wrote several letters of appeal, but despite donations, the funds were not enough for a new church to be built. In 1845 only the financing of the tower was secured. According to plans by the building inspector Jakob Westerfeld , the tower was designed in 1845 in such a way that a new nave could be built on the tower in 1876 ​​according to plans by the building councilor Louis Jacobi . Westerfeld was previously responsible for the construction management of the Protestant church in Friedrichsdorf (1834-1837), whose tower is very similar to the Gonzenheimer.

In the 1930s, the interior of the church was adapted to the tastes of the time. The ceiling and wall paintings from 1876 disappeared. The church was laid out in white, windows and doors were given black stripes and banners could be read on the upper edge of the walls. The colored coffered ceiling was painted over and disappeared under a red-brown layer of paint. The ornamental painting of the pilaster strips was also painted over. The gallery was expanded and the pulpit changed sides. The altar and the choir were clad in red marble . On the side where the pulpit used to be, there was a large picture of John the Baptist .

With the interior renovation in 1977, the church was given a bright, friendly color again. The marble cladding on the walls and in the chancel has been removed.

Today's interior painting of the church goes back to a renovation in 2001. The restorers used the original color scheme from the 19th century. The white bars of the classical coffered ceiling are decorated with an elaborate stencil painting in the colors green, red and yellow. The inside of the cassette shines in a bright blue. The pilaster strips, originally decorated with stencil painting, are now painted in a uniform light yellow and provided with a blue comma, which only suggests the former ornament band. To the left of the pulpit, the viewer can discover remains of the former floral painting. The vault of the choir is also adorned with the blue color. The pulpit and benches, professionally refurbished, blend in perfectly with the new color environment thanks to the honey-colored natural oak.

Church life

The Evangelical parish of Gonzenheim in the dean's office in Hochtaunus (Provostei Süd-Nassau) has one and a half parish positions for around three thousand parishioners. There is a support association that supports the activities of the community, which includes not only lectures but also the youth work of the Scout Association Crusaders.

Individual evidence

  1. Homepage of the parish Gonzenheim (history)

Web links

Coordinates: 50 ° 13 ′ 15.4 "  N , 8 ° 38 ′ 26.2"  E