City Church (Balingen)

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City Church

The Protestant town church in Balingen was built as a late Gothic hall church as an extension of the Nikolauskapelle, first mentioned in the 14th century. Its elevation to the parish church is said to have taken place around 1516. Since then it has been the Church of Our Lady. It is centrally located within the former city walls on the market square of the city of Balingen in the Zollernalb district .

history

Archival drawer of the Heiligenvogt in the choir room

In the 11th century, today's cemetery or old Liebfrauenkirche, which was once Balingen's parish church, was built in Balingen. Since it was outside the city walls, a chapel was built inside the city soon after the city was founded. Architectural finds suggest that this Nikolaus- und Liebfrauenkapelle was expanded in 1443. With the introduction of the Reformation, Balingen became Protestant. The oldest epitaph of the town church dates back to 1565 and shows - in Spanish fashion - the wife of Obervogts Ehrenfried Senfft von Sulburg, in 1595 the epitaph of the mayor Kaspar Murschel , in 1605 that of Magdalena von Tegernau in the choir. In 1612 Duke Johann Friedrich ordered the church to be painted. The almost whitewashed painting with biblical stories was done by the painter Melchior Drescher from Rottweil. At that time, the coat of arms of the dukes of Württemberg, which is now in the Zehntscheune Balingen , was created. In 1760 , the church tower was equipped with the sundial of Philipp Matthäus Hahn . The great city fire of 1809 also affected the interior of the church, especially the organ. In 1861/62 all keystones and consoles were painted over, as was the painting from 1613. In 1913/14 the entire church was renovated inside and outside and the missing vaults in the central and side aisles were added, the pulpit was moved. Since 1978, starting with the tower roof, the tower and the nave have been renovated. The re-inauguration took place in 1990.

architecture

tower

The core of the late Gothic church construction goes back to the Nikolauskapelle, first mentioned in 1342. Architectural and historical findings confirm a large-scale Gothic reconstruction, to which the choir and the choir tower go back. According to the inscription on the head of the choir, on the east wall of the choir, this was started in 1443. The design and execution was initially in the hands of the master builder family Jörg, then the master Franz. The Joerg coat of arms, a rafter with three stars, appears above the western keystone of the choir. The result was a narrow nave with only one nave in today's length. The ribs rest on half-length portraits of the apostles, evangelists and prophets, and figures of saints look out of the keystones. Due to the death of Hänslin Jörg the Younger in 1490, the tower was initially unfinished. He received a guard house with a tiled roof. It was not until 1541 that it received its characteristic and unmistakable shape from the master stonemason Stephan. The helmet then put on received a copper roof. Dendrochronological examinations on the still preserved roof from the 15th century show that the roof was opened around 1455, so that the approximate end of the renovation work can be assumed here. The tracery of the three large choir windows was created around 1470, that of the smaller high windows on the north and south walls of the choir and on the west gable is probably older. Only they are still equipped with slug washers. The tracery on the windows of the nave is half a century younger. The three-aisled staggered hall with side chapels between the drawn in buttresses goes back to a change in the early 16th century (1510–1516), a work by the master Franz von Tübingen. The choir was renovated at the turn of the century. The then newly glazed windows were donated by Kommerzienrat Behr, the owner of the oldest and largest jersey factory in Balingen. The vaulting of the central nave was not made until a thorough renovation from 1913 to 1919 as a concrete structure over the beginnings of the medieval ribs.

Furnishing

Epitaph of Elisabetha Senfft von Sulburg, wife of the Balinger Obervogts Ehrenfried Senft von Sulburg (1560–1587)

Epitaphs and tombstones

  • Stone grave slab of Friedrich von Zollern-Schalksburg (d. 1403). It shows the inclined Zollern shield with the bracken as a crest and the maternal Kyburg coat of arms. In 1403 the only son of Count Friedrich von Zollern-Schalksburg and Verena von Kyburg was buried in the Nikolaus- und Liebfrauenkapelle. His untimely death is said to have triggered the sale of the rule and the city of Balingen to Württemberg. His grave slab was embedded in the south wall during renovation work.
  • Grave slab of Katharina von Anweil, wife of Obervogts Hans Caspar von Anweil ​​(1551)
  • Stone grave slab of Elisabeth Senfft von Sulburg, née von Karpffen, wife of the Obervogts in Balingen (1565)
  • Wooden epitaph of the mayor of Balingen, Caspar Murschel (1595) (work by Simon Schweizer, Balingen)
  • Stone grave slab of Magdalena von Tegernau (d. 1609), wife of Obervogts Friedrich von Tegernau in Balingen (1600–1629)
  • Grave slab of the wolf Erasmus von Gruental, son of the Tübingen chief bailiff Hans Joachim von Grüntal (1636)
  • Stone grave slab of Amalia Barbara Countess zu Candel (d. 1668), wife of Obervogts Karl Philibert Ferrere Fiesce Graf von Candel
  • Stone grave slab of the daughter Katharina Friederika Countess zu Candel, who died in 1650, not yet a year old
  • Grave slab of Magister Georg Christoph Hoffmann

Building sculptures

"Apocalyptic Woman" - keystone city church (Balingen)
  • Vault capstones ("apocalyptic woman", Mary with the baby Jesus, clothed with the sun, at her feet the moon as a symbol of evil, St. Nicholas, St. Sebastian; coat of arms of the county of Wirtemberg, the diocese of Constance and the city of Balingen)
  • Picture sculpture of the Doctor of the Church Hieronymus
  • Relief portraits of Old Testament priest-kings, apostles and evangelists (around 1510/1516) (Master Franz von Tübingen)

Sculptures

inventory

  • Crucifix from the Renaissance period

organ

The Haußdörffer-Silbermann prospectus with play cupboard

The first organ documented in the city church was built in 1661 by the organ builder Hans Georg Menschann (Ulm), who later was the court organ builder in Stuttgart. The instrument was probably in the choir on a gallery. In 1765 it was in such a bad condition that according to the protocol of the church convention only a new building or a very thorough repair could be considered.

The Tübingen organ maker Johann Sigmund Haussdörffer was commissioned with the new construction, but died shortly before the church was completed. His assistant and son-in-law Hans Rüdiger, also written as Rudigier, completed the work. The organ was inaugurated on December 24, 1767. Haussdörffer was a grandchild of Gottfried Silbermann and brought his prospectus form to Württemberg. Due to the intervention of the art historian Pfeffer, the prospectus was preserved during the major church renovation in 1913/14 and was not replaced by a then modern, neo-Gothic prospectus. The organ had 2 manuals with 22 registers.

The return positive on the parapet and the parapet figures

Repairs were made in 1786, 1803, 1811, 1833 and 1865. In 1833 the play cabinet was replaced by a free-standing gaming table.

In the course of the major church renovation in 1913/14, the Giengen organ manufacturer Gebr. Link built a new work behind the baroque prospectus. It had the most modern cone chests and a pneumatic action mechanism and had 32 stops on two manuals and a pedal. The instrument was voiced in a late romantic style, with a strong fundamental character. During renovations in 1934, 1942 and 1948 under the Balingen organist Hermann Rehm, the intonation was changed to Baroque style and the sound was brightened. The organ work was expanded to 48 registers on three manuals. The third manual was distributed over two parapet positives in 1948.

In 1973 the organ was fundamentally rebuilt by Orgelbau Friedrich Weigle . The main mechanism and swell mechanism and the pedal mechanism have been converted to a mechanical action mechanism with a new slide box. The old play cabinet was restored. The two back positives were provided with their own manuals, which, however, were still operated electro-pneumatically for reasons of cost . As part of a planned comprehensive interior and exterior renovation of the church, a new construction of the parapet positive from 1948 was planned. In 1987, the organ builder Diethelm Berner (Stuttgart-Botnang) built the III. and IV. Manual completely re-equipped both plants with mechanical tractors. The baroque marbling of the organ and the organ gallery was restored, the new parapets were adapted in style to the Haußdörffer-Silbermann prospectus. The parapet figures also received their first version.

Today the instrument has 54 registers with 3952 pipes on four manual works and a pedal . The action mechanism is mechanical, the stop action is electric.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
01. Quintad 16 ′
02. Praestant 08th'
03. Covered 08th'
04th Viol 08th'
05. octave 04 ′
06th Reed flute 04 ′
07th Fifth 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
08th. recorder 02 ′
09. Rauschpfeife IV 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
10. Mixture V 02 ′
11. Cornet III-V 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
12. bassoon 16 ′
13. Trumpet 08th'
Tremulant
II Swell C – g 3
14th Covered 16 ′
15th flute 08th'
16. Harfoctave 08th'
17th Quintatön 08th'
18th Salicional 08th'
19th Beat 08th'
20th Principal 04 ′
21st Covered flute 04 ′
22nd Nasat 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
23. Swiss pipe 0 02 ′
24. Third flute 01 3 ⁄ 5  ′
25th Sif flute 01'
26th Larigot II 02 ′
27. Quintan II 01 1 ⁄ 3  ′
28. Scharff IV 02 ⁄ 3 ′
29 oboe 08th'
30th Clairon 04 '
Tremulant
III parapet positive north C – g 3
31. Tube bare 8th'
32. Capstan flute 4 ′
33. Principal 2 ′
34. Zimbel III 0 1 ⁄ 4 ′
35. shawm 4 ′
Tremulant


IV parapet positive south C – g 3
36. Covered pommer 8th'
37. Viol principal 4 ′
38. Gemshorn 2 ′
39. Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
40. Third-seventh II 0 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
41. Krummhorn 8th'
Tremulant
Pedals C – f 1
42. Principal bass 16 ′
43. Sub bass 16 ′
44. Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
45. Octave bass 08th'
46. Gemsbass 08th'
47. Night horn 04 ′
48. Hollow flute 02 ′
49. Choral Bass III 04 ′
50. Basszink III 05 1 ⁄ 3  ′
51. Backset VI 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
52. trombone 16 ′
53. Trumpet bass 08th'
54. Singing cornet 02 ′
Tremulant for small pedals
  • Couple
    • Normal coupling: I / II, II / I, III / I, III / II, IV / I, IV / II, IV / III, I / P, II / P, III / P, IV / P
    • Sub-octave coupling: II / I, II / II
  • Playing aids: 10,000-fold typesetting system, 4 free combinations, 2 free pedal combinations, tutti, piano pedal, tongue holder, crescendo roller
  • Effect register: Zimbelstern

Peal

A seven-part bell hangs in the tower of the town church, which is one of the largest bells in Württemberg. In 1948 the church received a five-part bell, cast in the Kurtz foundry in Stuttgart. In 1955 the bell was extended downwards to include bell 2 ("Gloriosa"); In 2009 the Baggert foundry from Karlsruhe casted the peace bell, today's deepest bell.

No.
 		 Surname
 		 Casting year
 		 Caster
 		 Mass
(kg)		 Diameter
(mm)		 Nominal
 		 inscription
 
1 Peace bell 2009 Albert Bachert ,
Karlsruhe		 5464 1940 g sharp 0 Glory to God and peace on earth
2 Gloriosa
(holiday bell)		 1955 Heinrich Kurtz,
Stuttgart		 2753 1643 h 0 Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
3 Eternity Bell
(Christ Bell)		 1948 1945 1460 cis 1 Jesus Christ yesterday and today and the same forever
4th Evening bell
(prayer bell)		 1092 1230 e 1 Watch and pray
5 Day
bell (cross bell)		 817 1090 f sharp 1 O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord
6th Morning bell 572 970 g sharp 1 His mercy is new every morning
7th Baptismal bell 319 810 h 1 Let the children come to me
8th Blessing bell 14th century 113.5 550 g sharp 2

literature

  • Ministry of Churches and Schools (Ed.): Balingen, in: The art and ancient monuments in the Kingdom of Württemberg, inventory of the Black Forest district . Stuttgart 1897, p. 14-21 .
  • Kurt Wedler: Is Aberlin Joerg the builder of the Balingen town church. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen Jg. 7 (1960) No. 12, p. 337 f.
  • Eugen Gröner: The oldest and historically most important grave slab of the Evangelical City Church in Balingen. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) vol. 32 (1985) No. 3, p. 492.
  • Eugen Gröner: The windows of the Balingen town church. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) Jg. 33 (1986) No. 12, p. 573 f.
  • Eugen Gröner: Created 475 years ago. The pulpit of the Balingen town church. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) Jg. 34 (1987) No. 2, p. 581 f.
  • Eugen Gröner: figurative jewelry in the Balingen town church. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) Jg. 34 (1987) No. 5, p. 592 f.
  • Eugen Gröner: The large crucifix and the pulpit cover in the Balingen town church - 375 years old. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) Jg. 35 (1988) No. 9, p. 657 f.
  • Eugen Gröner: The Evangelical City Church in Balingen. Your building history rewritten. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) Jg. 36 (1989), No. 4-6, pp. 685 f., 689 f., 693 f.
  • Evangelical parish Stadtkirche Balingen (Hrsg.): Stadtkirche Balingen. Balingen 1990.
  • Eugen Gröner: Clocks on the tower of the town church in Balingen. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) Jg. 38 (1991) No. 6, p. 789.
  • Eugen Gröner: Balingen town church more than 200 years ago. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) Jg. 38 (1991) No. 6, p. 816
  • Eugen Gröner: Balingen church tower completed exactly 450 years ago. In: Heimatkundliche Blätter Balingen (= Heimatkundliche Blätter Zollernalb ) Jg . 38 (1991) No. 8, pp. 797 f.
  • Eugen Gröner: Balingen town church celebrates double anniversary 650 years ago first documentary mention - 550 years ago start of the renovation, Jg. 40 (1993) No. 4, 877 f.
  • City administration Balingen (ed.): 750 years city of Balingen 1255–2005. (= Publications of the City Archives. Volume 7, 2005) ISBN 3-00-017595-4

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information on the organ
  2. ↑ Disposition
  3. ↑ Video recording of the peal
  4. ↑ Information about the bell

Web links

Commons : Stadtkirche Balingen  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 16 ′ 23.6 ″  N , 8 ° 51 ′ 1 ″  E