Transfiguration Church (Adlershof)

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Transfiguration Church
Front view of the Transfiguration Church
address Arndtstrasse 11/15
12489 Berlin
Denomination evangelical
Website evangelische-kirche-adlershof.de
building
built 1899-1900
inauguration 17th November 1900
style Late historicism

The Evangelical Church of the Transfiguration in the Berlin district of Adlershof was built by Robert Leibnitz from 1899 to 1900 according to a design by building officer Heinrich Klutmann . It is one of the few church buildings from late historicism whose original painting and interior fittings have been almost completely preserved. The paintings were restored in 2001.

history

Floor plan of the church (reproduction of an original plan from the house files)

After the formation of the municipality of Adlershof in the 1880s, the number of inhabitants increased tenfold in barely ten years. In order to no longer have to wander to Köpenick for church services , a Protestant parish was founded in 1896. The Adlershof community - mainly workers and small craftsmen lived there - had hardly any money themselves. It therefore benefited from the fact that the construction and maintenance of church buildings in Prussia were state subsidized by the Evangelical Church Building Association. The monarchy wanted to counteract the influence of the SPD on the workers. During this time, Empress Auguste Viktoria supported almost a hundred church buildings, including the church in Adlershof. Her commitment earned the empress the derisive nickname “ Kirchenjuste” . The solemn inauguration of the church took place on November 17, 1900 in their presence and on the square in front of the church. Local associations had gathered here, schoolchildren stood in line with their teachers and cheered.

For representative reasons, the church building turned out to be much too big even for the time - the church tower is 56 meters high and the stalls offer space for around 1000 visitors.

After two of the bronze bells fell victim to the metal donation of the German people in the First World War , the community decided after the war to sell the third bell in order to be able to afford a full chiming steel bell with the proceeds. The ringing with three bells, operated by hand until 1956, is tuned in D minor (D – F – A).

Most of the church windows made by the well-known Berlin glass painter Otto Vittali were broken in the explosion in field ammunition facility 3 at the chemical factory of C. A. F. Kahlbaum on Glienicker Weg on May 22, 1917 . The three windows in the apse had shown the Transfiguration of Christ , after which the church was named at the request of Auguste Victoria. The church was largely spared from the destruction of the Second World War , but the windows in the apse, which were renewed between the wars, were again destroyed by an explosion. Today's apse windows were manufactured by a company from Zwickau in the 1950s. They represent the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love, symbolized by a cross, anchor and a heart in the Luther rose . With the help of the partner congregation in Dortmund , the church was able to be preserved relatively well. After the political change , the 1000 roofs program allowed a restoration of the classic slate roof . The interiors were also largely restored by 2001 so that the church is in very good condition.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the church consecration in 2000, the parish councilor had invited Christina Rau , the wife of the then Federal President Johannes Rau , to the festive service. She attended the service and, together with the churchgoers, was happy about the performance of the church children's choir. Then there was a festive reception in the auditorium of the old school.

layout

The church is shaped by the ideas of Auguste Viktorias, as they are reflected in the characteristics of many churches of this origin. Late historicism at that time combined various influences from Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The basic shape is a west block with a slim high church tower in which the entrances are located. Behind it is the three-aisled church space , which leads into a semicircular chancel , to which adjoining rooms are connected on the right and left. Halfway up there is a gallery , at the end of which an organ has been placed under the church tower .

The casein-colored paintings on the ceiling of the apse depict Bethlehem and Jerusalem under a starry sky. The center of the sky is a sun with the Greek monogram for Jesus Christ . Below are the symbols of the zodiac and six trumpet-blowing angels . The side windows have simple motifs. The large crucifix on the triumphal arch is a classic Oberammergau work. Following the crucifixion of the Gospel of John, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and John, Jesus' favorite disciple, are depicted under the cross. The painter also added two angels to the crucifixion scene. The altar is a wooden carving with little ornate covering, created by wood sculptor Gustav Kuntzsch , Wernigerode . Overall, the church shines mainly because of its character by the Brandenburg handicrafts of that time, built entirely from stone and wood from the Brandenburg area.

use

The church is actively used by the Evangelical Church Community Berlin-Adlershof, which belongs to the parish of Lichtenberg-Oberspree in the Berlin district of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia . The round barrel vault, mostly made of wood, allows very good acoustics, so that the concerts that take place several times a year are well attended.

literature

  • Newer church buildings , in: Deutsche Bauzeitung , 35th year, No. 26/1901, commission publisher by Ernst Toeche, Berlin 1901, p. 163 f.
  • Günther Kühne, Elisabeth Stephani: Evangelical churches in Berlin. Christlicher Zeitschriftenverlag (CZV), Berlin 1978, ISBN 3-7674-0158-4 , p. 427.
  • Ernst Badstübner, Sibylle Badstübner-Gröger: Churches in Berlin - From St. Nikolai to the community center "Am Fennpfuhl" with photos by Martin Dettloff. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-374-00171-8 , p. 216 (ill. P. 153).
  • Ruth Boge, Jürgen Huhn: Church building under the protectorate of the Empress , in: Adlershofer Zeitung No. 20 / December 1995, Medien Gelbke & Lange GbR, Berlin 1995, p. 8 f.
  • Architects and Engineers Association of Berlin (ed.): Berlin and its buildings , part VI, sacred buildings . Verlag Ernst & Sohn, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-433-01016-1 , p. 100 f., 381, figs. 227–228 .
  • Angela Beeskow: The Transfiguration Church in Berlin-Adlershof. (DKV art guide No. 584/0). Recordings: Marie-Luise Preiss and Max Boris Preiss. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 2000, DNB 960470611 .
  • Angela Beeskow: The furnishings in the churches of the Berlin Church Building Association (1890–1904). With a contribution to the iconography of Protestantism . Gebr. Mann Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 978-3-7861-1765-0 , pp. 134 ff., 217, 401 f., 425.
  • Thomas Prinzler: Notes on the building history of the Transfiguration Church , in: Adlershofer Gemeindeanzeiger der Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Berlin-Adlershof. Anniversary extra sheet. November 11, 2011, Wichern-Verlag, Berlin 2011, p. 2 ff.

Web links

Commons : Verklärungskirche (Adlershof)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Kirchenjuste" - a portrait , accessed on April 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ a b Ruth Boge: Guest of Honor in the Adlershof Transfiguration Church a hundred years ago and in the present. In: Adlershof yesterday and today. 1714-2004 . Aphaia Verlag Verlin, 2004, ISBN 3-926677-42-2 , pp. 59/60.

Coordinates: 52 ° 26 '15.9 "  N , 13 ° 33' 3.4"  E