Pauluskirche (Hückeswagen)
The Pauluskirche is one of two Protestant churches in Hückeswagen and is one of the most popular postcard motifs in the city after the castle .
history
The foundation stone was laid on May 26, 1783 by the Reformed community. Research suggests that there was a chapel on the same site as early as the end of the 11th century. The existence of a church has been documented since 1297. The direct predecessor of the Pauluskirche, however, was the Nikolauskirche, which was handed over to the Reformed community in 1683 for sole use. It was so damaged in a severe fire in 1753 that it was decided to build a new one. It was completed in 1787 and the inauguration took place on May 2, 1787.
Union of Protestant Congregations around 1900
A roaring deer can be seen on a seal on a door stone of the main entrance to the church . It is part of the seal of the Reformed church. It took the Lutheran and Reformed congregations a long time to merge into the evangelical congregation; It was not until 1900 that the two groups managed to unite, although Friedrich Wilhelm III. had demanded a union from Prussia as early as 1817 and since then both communities had belonged to the Evangelical Church of the Old Prussian Union .
Renovations from 1969 to the present day
During the last major renovation of the church from 1969 to 1974, numerous skeletons were found that were later embedded again. They came from the cemetery around the old Nikolauskirche. When the Pauluskirche was built, it was not built on the same floor plan, but was slightly offset. The tower of the church was last renovated in 2005.
building
Gravestone from 1617
Behind the main portal there is a huge gravestone on the right hand side. On the initiative of the Bergisches Geschichtsverein, the baroque grave monument from 1617 was moved from the outside of the tower inwards and thus preserved.
Nave inside
Inside the church there are benches on two floors. Even by Protestant standards, the decoration of the elementary components is very economical. Only the windows have a few spots of color in the upper area. With a suitable painting and other structural measures, a bright and friendly atmosphere was created during the renovation from 1969.
Bells
Three of the four bells date from 1954, including a bell with the motto of the Confessing Church , i.e. the church that opposed the Third Reich. The fourth bell dates from 1927 and was not used for armament purposes.
organ
The new (now fourth) organ was inaugurated at a festive service in 1974 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Roß, Fredi K .: Chronicle of the parish, Hückeswagen 2008
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 9 ′ 1 ″ N , 7 ° 20 ′ 26 ″ E