Friedenskirche (Siegen)

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The (dismantled) Friedenskirche in Siegen-Achenbach on May 1st, 2017

The Friedenskirche is a former Protestant-Reformed wooden church in the Siegen district of Achenbach . Until it was deedicated, it was one of three places of worship in the Christ parish in Siegen and is now a listed building .

Establishment on unity

After the end of the Second World War, the Reformed Zion Church in Evansville, Indiana (USA) donated the church to the citizens of Siegen as a token of solidarity and reconciliation. It was commissioned and built in Sweden and opened on August 8, 1948 on the Eintracht site in Siegen. At the inauguration it was named Johanneskirche.

Relocation to Achenbach

Ten years later the new Siegerlandhalle was built on the same site . Instead of tearing down the still young wooden church, it was dismantled and rebuilt at its new location in Achenbach. On Christmas Day 1958, the first service took place in the rebuilt wooden church with Pastor Ernst Haas. The official inauguration under the name Friedenskirche took place on May 7, 1959. The new name was chosen to indicate the origin of the church as a symbol of reconciliation and peace. In the interior, the Bible word “He is our peace” from Ephesians 2:14 was inscribed above the communion table.

Todays situation

Because it was considered dilapidated and in danger of collapsing, there had been no services in the Friedenskirche since 2011. At the beginning of 2016 it was de-dedicated as a place of worship and sold to the Achenbach Heimatverein. After extensive renovation, the Friedenskirche now houses an integration project for traumatized refugees.

particularities

The Friedenskirche has some special features compared to other churches:

  • It is considered to be the first newly built Protestant church in Siegen after the Reformation .
  • It is the only church in Germany that has changed its location.
  • It is the only church in Germany that has changed its name.

See also

The Christ Church in Berlin-Friedrichshain was built in a similar construction and was also made in Sweden .

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The West from August 1, 2015

Coordinates: 50 ° 51 ′ 59.1 ″  N , 7 ° 59 ′ 29.5 ″  E