Gellert Church (Basel)

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Gellerkirche
Construction year: 1964
Location: 613.11 thousand  /  266 540 coordinates: 47 ° 32 '58 "  N , 7 ° 36' 46"  O ; CH1903:  613.11 thousand  /  266540
Location: Basel
Basel-Stadt , Switzerland
Purpose: Evangelical Reformed Church
Website: www.gellertkirche.ch

The Gellert Church is an Evangelical Reformed church in the city of Basel . The building is located in the Gellert quarter in the St. Alban district and was included in the inventory of buildings worthy of protection in the city of Basel (part of Grossbasel-Ost, 1940-1970).

architecture

The Gellert Church was planned by the architect Curt P. Blumer and inaugurated on November 8, 1964. The bell bearer is reminiscent of a hand that points to the sky. At the bottom of a tower rib are three bronze angel figures, created by Hans Geissberger (1921–1999) sculptor and painter. They have an external connection with the ringing, because in a reduced form they adorn the mantle of the three bells themselves, the sound of which they want to bring down to earth through their movement. That is why the top angel reaches up with raised arms to symbolically grasp the sound, the middle angel holds it in place, and the bottom angel leads him down to earth. The three bells are tuned to Gb, A-flat and C-b. When the bell rings, the tower experiences a sway of a maximum of 2.5 cm in an elliptical shape.
Gellert Church

The Gellert Church was built in 1964 by Curt Peter Blumer as the winner of an architecture competition and is considered an excellent example of church construction from this era. It forms the center of the development of the Gellertfeld that was carried out in the 1960s, a remarkable urban development achievement of Basel post-war modernism. The church is formally derived from the tipi , the tent of the North American Indians and thus represents the type of a tent church . A central room is built over a nine-cornered floor plan, reflecting the conception of the sacred building at that time. The golden ratio and the numerical ratios 3 to 6 to 9 were materialized in church construction. Wood, concrete and glass dominate on and in the building. It is further characterized by the copper roof, which is not evenly steep everywhere due to the geometry, and the light gable protruding from the roof surface. The free-standing forty meter high tower sets a distinctive accent that works in dialogue with the building. A large number of ancillary rooms on the ground floor and basement enabled a lively community life even then. In 2007 and 2008 an additional parish hall was added to the Gellert Church to meet its growing needs. The three bronze angels on the church tower were created by Hans Geissberger .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Church buildings of the Evang. ref. Basel-Stadt church at www.erk-bs.ch
  2. ↑ Gellert Church in the inventory of buildings worthy of protection in the city of Basel, on www.denkmalpflege.bs.ch