Heilandskirche (Krems)

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Parish center with parish church, parish hall and rectory

The Heilandskirche is a Protestant church building in Krems an der Donau . Erected in 1912 and consecrated in 1913, it is an early work by the architect Otto Bartning .

History of the community

The beginnings of Protestant faith can be seen in Krems since the middle of the 16th century. The self-confidence and educational needs of the wealthy bourgeoisie found a welcome field of activity in Luther's new teaching . Protestant preachers held services in all Krems churches with the exception of the parish church, and the city council took over the goods donated to the Catholic church for a small rent. Sons of wealthy Krems citizens studied at Protestant German universities and brought the literature of the Reformation to their hometown. The Latin school in Krems also fell into Protestant hands and enjoyed an excellent reputation. Your reorganization was carried out by Dr. Matthew performed.

In the second half of the 16th century, around 90% of the city's population was Protestant. The Catholic sovereign as the highest authority did not want to tolerate this development for economic reasons. Failing to obey - a revolt broke out in 1589 - the city was fined and lost a large part of its rights. The settlement of the Jesuits in 1616 and the takeover of the Latin school were intended to win the citizens back to the Catholic faith.

After all, the "uprising" of Krems Protestants in 1619 during the Thirty Years' War and their contacts with hostile Bohemia put an end to Lutheranism in this area. The Protestant faith was forbidden, the Counter-Reformation was carried out with rigor. The already resident Jesuits improved the Catholic school system and had a decisive influence on religious and cultural life. Only the nobility could freely choose their religion, which induced wealthy citizens to allow themselves to be ennobled and to hold evangelical services in private.

For a short time there was a revival of Protestantism when Swedish troops occupied the city during the Thirty Years' War. But with the liberation by imperial troops, this possibility was over and the Lutheran faith remained extinguished in this area for 200 years.

Today's Protestant parish was founded in 1905. It has its roots on the one hand in the Los-von-Rom movement of the 19th century, on the other hand in the religious freedom granted by Emperor Franz Joseph , which made the emergence of an independent evangelical community possible.

From the time the church was founded, pastors were: Max Monsky (1905–1912), Helmut Pommer (1912–1917), Emil Mayer (1918–1947), Karl Elicker (1948–1970), Gottfried Schottner (1971–1977), Michael Meyer (1978–1996 ) and Roswitha Petz (from September 1996).

History of the church

The Heilandskirche on Martin-Luther-Platz

Even before the Protestant patent of 1871, church services were held in Krems by a small community. From 1895 the former Andreas chapel was used as a place of worship. In 1912 the decision was made to rebuild the Heilandskirche. The consecration took place in 1913. The church was last renovated in 1985 under architect Herbert Rodinger. It is a listed building. A general renovation is planned to mark the 100th anniversary.

Description of the church

Interior of the Heilandskirche

The Protestant church with the adjoining parish hall are at the southwest end of the city park. It was built in 1912 and is an early work by the architect Otto Bartning , who designed over 100 churches in Germany alone. Initially, the construction of the church did not meet with approval, as it deviated too much from the usual image and, despite certain historicizing elements, was too modern.

The central building with a roof turret over the slightly curved dome breaks completely with the building type that was common at the time. The bright, light-flooded, octagonal interior is a manageable, uniform community room. Inside there are historical building elements such as simple smooth column shafts with Doric chapters , hints of triglyphs in the entablature, round and segment-arched windows. Its great effect, however, lies in the clear structure of the dome, the arrangement of the benches around the far extended altar and in the elegant color scheme.

The church has excellent acoustics, which is why church concerts take place again and again.

literature

Web links

Commons : Heilandskirche (Krems)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Website of the Evangelical Parish A. and HB Krems, Our Congregation, accessed on March 2, 2012
  2. ^ Frühwirth: Die Doppelstadt Krems-Stein, p. 291f
  3. ↑ Frühwirth: Die Doppelstadt Krems-Stein, p. 291ff
  4. ↑ Rupert Schweiger: Magic of Architecture, p. 210f
  5. ↑ Rupert Schweiger: Magic of Architecture, p. 210f

Coordinates: 48 ° 24 ′ 21.6 "  N , 15 ° 35 ′ 45.7"  E