Snow Church
The first snow church was built in 1911 in Mitterfirmiansreut , a district of Philippsreut . It was a church made of snow, which was built by the residents as an emergency church to draw attention to their lack of a church. The structure stood from February to May 1911 when the church melted. On the occasion of the centenary, a new snow church was also built in Mitterfirmiansreut.
background
In 1907 it was decided to found a church building association in Mitterfirmiansreut. During this time Hinterfirmiansreut was looked after by the parish of Mauth . The long distance to the parish church was difficult, especially in the winter months. Hence the desire to have a church of their own. However, the poverty of the villagers made this wish appear difficult to achieve. When the villagers were unable to attend Christmas mass in Mauth in December 1910 due to a heavy snowstorm, the idea of building a church out of snow arose. The initiative was supported by Mauth's co-operative at the time , Georg Baumgartner.
Construction
The villagers built the church out of large blocks of snow. It was 14 meters long, 7 meters wide and almost 4 meters high. Following the example of Passau Cathedral , two towers were built on the front.
Aftermath
After a photo of the Snow Church was published by regional and national newspapers, many donations were collected for the construction of a permanent church in Mitterfirmiansreut. A first chapel was built in 1923, consecrated two years later and enlarged in 1932. It is dedicated to St. Joseph.
Snow Church 2011–2012
A new snow church was built to commemorate the centenary of the church building. It is 26 meters long, 11 meters wide and almost 19 meters high. The interior of the church can accommodate about 190 people. The new building aroused great media interest. The architects were Koeberl Doeringer Architekten from Passau .
The church was built in a freely curved dome shape, which was created by applying snow to a framework formed by sheet metal panels. Window portals were formed from blocks of ice. 1400 cubic meters of snow were processed. Among other things, a crane was also used. The builders reckoned a service life of at least two months. Since there are no building inspection rules and calculation standards for the building materials snow and ice, the statics was derived from the general principles of technical mechanics , with constant control ensuring safety. The church had to be temporarily closed once due to mild temperatures.
The cost was given as 70,000 euros. In addition to private sponsors, the community of Philippsreut and the neighboring Czech community of Strážný participated in the implementation of the project. A planned EU grant could not be realized. An attempt was made to cover part of the costs with entrance fees.
The church was blessed by a dean , but not consecrated, making baptisms and weddings in the church impossible.
In general, there was criticism from the church relating to the marketing aspects of the project. For example, on the opening evening on December 28, 2011, it was directed by a private radio station with disco music and lighting.
At the end of March 2012 came the end of the Snow Church. After the church was closed due to the risk of collapse, parts of the nave and the side portal collapsed.
Awards
- 2013: Nike of the Association of German Architects (BDA) in the Nike category for symbolism
- 2013: BDA Prize Bavaria 2013 in the social commitment category
Sources and web links
- Uli Scherr: Coole Kirche , Spiegel Online, November 14, 2011
- Homepage of the project
- History of the first snow church
- Premieres in the Snow Church: Church service and wedding photos, Passauer Latest News.
- Information on the Snow Church 2011 , Regiowiki
- Information on the first Snow Church in 1911 , Regiowiki
- Snow Church is inaugurated , N-TV
- Mitterfirmiansreut Snow Church , Donau TV
- The Snow Church of Mitterfirmiansreut , report from December 28, 2011, Die Welt
- Snow church opens in Bavaria , MSNBS.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ "The Snow Church should stand for at least two months" ( Memento of the original from March 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Passauer Neue Presse, December 29, 2011, p. 3.
- ↑ Snow Church is open , ksta.de, December 29, 2011
- ↑ The End of the Snow Church Passauer Neue Presse , March 24, 2012 (print), March 23, 2012 (online), accessed on March 12, 2016
- ↑ Bund Deutscher Architekten (BDA) Nike 2013 - Nike for Symbolism , accessed on June 25, 2013
- ↑ BDA Prize Bavaria 2013
Coordinates: 48 ° 53 ′ 34.8 " N , 13 ° 38 ′ 51.7" E