Freiberg Temple

Freiberg Temple (July 2006)

The Freiberg Germany Temple is the 33rd existing temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints . It is in Freiberg in Saxony .

history

Freiberg Temple (June 1985)

The Freiberg Temple was the first temple of this church on German soil. It is the only temple that was built in a socialist country, namely the former GDR . The official announcement of the temple construction on October 9, 1982 was preceded by years of negotiations between the church leadership and the government of the GDR. The members in the GDR were only very rarely given a travel permit to visit a temple outside the GDR. So finally the plan arose to build a temple in the GDR itself. Construction work began with Thomas S. Monson's groundbreaking on April 23, 1983. Gordon B. Hinckley , then a counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the temple on June 29, 1985. The original temple was 30 m by 25 m. With a usable area of 730 m² it was one of the smallest temples in the church. The first president of the temple was Henry Burkhardt from 1985 to 1991 , who was also President of the Church in the GDR until German reunification .

With the fall of the Iron Curtain , the Church in Eastern Europe grew. This made an expansion of the temple necessary. The usable area of the temple grew by around 600 m² through an extension and the construction of a basement. In the course of these renovations, a statue of the angel Moroni was attached to the tower . After the renovations were completed, President Gordon B. Hinckley rededicated the temple on September 7, 2002.

Until the dedication of the Kiev temple in Ukraine, the temple district of the Freiberg temple extended to Russia. In the meantime he serves the church members in the new federal states of Germany, in Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. There are a limited number of overnight accommodations for temple visitors in a hostel on Temple Square.

In 2015 and 2016 the temple was expanded and rebuilt, including lengthening and adding a basement. Before the temple was rededicated on September 4, 2016, visitors had the opportunity to view the premises in the temple. Open days were held from 12 to 27 August 2016 (excluding Sundays).