Evangelical town church Pforzheim
The Evangelical City Church in Pforzheim in Baden-Württemberg is the main Protestant church in the city. The church, consecrated in 1968, is the fourth city church after three previous buildings had been destroyed by wars and fires since the Reformation .
history
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The first Protestant town church in Pforzheim was the former Dominican church from 1586 , which was destroyed in the Palatinate War of Succession in 1689 . A successor building from 1711 was destroyed by fire in 1789. Although there were quick plans to build a new town church, the Pforzheim Castle Church served as a replacement for many years . After very protracted negotiations, a new town church, now called the Old Town Church, was inaugurated elsewhere in 1899 , which was destroyed during the air raid on Pforzheim on February 23, 1945. A linden wood crucifix from the old town church was saved and is now in the Church of the Resurrection . In the Pforzheim City Museum , some of the sacrament goblets that were badly damaged by the fire are shown.
From 1960 onwards, designs for the new building of a city church began, which were essentially based on the strict forms of the Pforzheim city center, which was completely rebuilt after the war, but at the same time should also stand out among the mundane new buildings. Out of 46 submitted designs, the design was finally implemented by Trier building officer Heinrich Otto Vogel , who had achieved second place. Building officer Vogel was responsible for the reconstruction of the Constantine Basilica in Trier , which is clearly evident in the design of the Pforzheim town church. Originally the tower of the war-torn old church was to be included. However, since this no longer met the structural requirements, it was decided to build a completely new building.
Since the church is located in the valley floor, which was redesigned in the 19th century and piled up with earth about five meters high, at the confluence of the Nagold and Enz rivers, a six to seven meter deep pile foundation made of 90 concrete piles had to be built to form the walls the church carries. Due to its immense weight, the tower was not placed on piles, but was given a foundation about seven meters deep that extends right down to the bedrock.
The foundation stone was laid on March 20, 1965, the topping-out ceremony was in April 1966, the bells were installed in June 1967 and at the beginning of 1968 the installation of the organ began. The church was consecrated on April 21, 1968.
A cross of nails from Coventry has been in the town church since 2005 .
description
The town church is a two-aisled church building. The main nave offers 560 seats in the middle, which can be expanded to double the number of seats on special occasions. In the side aisle, known as the weekday church, there are another 200 seats at ground level and another 240 seats in the gallery , on which the organ is also located.
The masonry of the church consists of a reinforced concrete structure clad on the outside with yellow sandstones from demolition material from the Stuttgart Crown Prince's Palace and red sandstones from the old Pforzheim city church . Inside, the masonry is faced with coarse bricks. The brickwork inside contrasts with exposed concrete pillars and the wood of the ceiling cladding. The 111 colored windows in the nave were created by Wolfgang Kappis , the windows in the weekday church were created by Hans Gottfried von Stockhausen . The ceiling is a wood-clad stretch ceiling made of 27-meter-long wooden trusses and a copper roof. The bronze doors of the church indicate the destruction of Pforzheim in the Second World War, but they represent the history of Sodom. The burning city can be seen on the right, the Lot family leaving the city on the top left and Mrs Lot in the middle, going to the pillar of salt freezes, forms the door handle and makes what is happening understandable. In addition to the portal of the church, Ulrich Henn also created the well-known altar cross, the pulpit and a key that was presented at the inauguration.
The organ of the church was built by GF Steinmeyer & Co. in Oettingen. The basement of the free-standing, approximately 80-meter-high tower is set up as a resting chapel. A Christ head located in it comes from the Pforzheim artist Willi Seidel, who also designed the chancel and the baptismal area. The bell chamber is about 45 meters high and contains a ring of six bells from the Bachert bell foundry with a total weight of about 15 tons.
literature
- Evang. Parish Council Pforzheim: Evangelical City Church Pforzheim, commemorative publication for the dedication on April 21, 1968 , Pforzheim 1968
- Hermann Diruff and Christoph Timm: Art and cultural monuments in Pforzheim and in the Enzkreis. Theiss, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 978-3-8062-0824-5 , pp. 52-53.
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 53 '16.5 " N , 8 ° 42' 5.4" E