Union Church (Mannheim)
The Union Church is a Protestant church in the Käfertal district of Mannheim . Parts of the structure date from the 14th century.
history
Käfertal was first mentioned in a document in 1227. 1393 a church in Käfertal is mentioned. In the Worms synod of 1496, a visitation protocol of the parishes of the diocese of Worms , Saint Mauritius was mentioned for the first time as patron . In 1556, the Palatinate Elector Ottheinrich introduced the Reformation . After that, the church, like the entire Electoral Palatinate , was subject to multiple confession changes until it was destroyed in the Thirty Years War in 1632 . Rebuilt in 1684, it was destroyed again in 1689 during the War of the Palatinate Succession . The services were then celebrated in the dilapidated tower, which was awarded to the Reformed when the church was divided across the country . However, there has been no pastor in Käfertal since the Thirty Years' War, so the pastors from Feudenheim were responsible for the care .
In 1717/18 a new nave was built and the tower was given a new roof and in 1798 a parish was finally set up again in Käfertal. However, the church had become too small for the growing community, so that in 1818 a new church was built according to the plans of the foreman GF Schaefer while retaining the tower. After the destruction of the Electoral Palatinate, Käfertal belonged to Baden , where in 1821 the Reformed and Lutherans were united in the United Evangelical Protestant Church in the Grand Duchy of Baden , to which the name "Union Church" referred. In 1912 the church was renovated.
In 1934 Max Schmechel enlarged the Union Church. The nave was lengthened and widened to the south. During the Second World War , the church burned down completely in August 1944 after an air raid. Reconstruction began in 1947, again under the direction of Schmechel, and on November 7, 1948, the Union Church was one of the first churches in Mannheim to be consecrated again by Regional Bishop Julius Bender . In 1954 the tower was raised. The two evangelical congregations in Käfertal Philippus and Union merged in 2012.
description
The Union Church is in the center of Käfertal on a small hill. The church tower is located east of the nave , which lost its axis symmetry due to the widening . The building is a simple, plastered construction with a gable roof and arched windows . The tower developed from a defensive tower . The south window, the arched ceiling with the keystone with the Lamb of God in the cross vault and the sacrament niche date from the Gothic period .
The wooden gallery in the interior comes from Max Schmechel's concept. Hanns Markus Heinlein carved the seven meter high crucifix in 1949 . The figures of the twelve apostles , which were attached to the right and left of the galleries in 1951, and the offering box , also come from him . The church window was designed in 1951 by the Mannheim artist Karl Rödel . The paraments were procured in 2005.
The organ has 1,300 pipes and was built by Steinmeyer in 1949 (Opus 1779). In 2007 it was completely overhauled. The bells from 1921 are made of cast steel , which meant that they escaped forced delivery during the Second World War. They also survived the fire after the bombing in 1944.
literature
- Kyra Seufert: 60 years of re-dedication of the Union Church Mannheim-Käfertal (PDF; 2.8 MB) . Mannheim 2008.
- Günter Bertschmann: Käfertal . Mannheim 1977.
- Andreas Schenk: Architectural Guide Mannheim . Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-496-01201-3 .
- Hans Huth: The art monuments of the Mannheim II district . Munich 1982, ISBN 3-422-00556-0 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Worms Synodale . P. 195.
- ↑ Evangelical Church in Baden ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Mannheimer Morgen June 1, 2007 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 30 ′ 42.8 ″ N , 8 ° 31 ′ 0.5 ″ E