Wilhelm Schlombs

Wilhelm Schlombs , usually called Willi Schlombs , (born April 24, 1920 in Cologne ; † August 25, 1993 there ) was a German architect and church builder. As Cologne archdiocesan master builder, he was largely responsible for the reconstruction of the historic church buildings in the Archdiocese of Cologne after the Second World War . His greatest achievement is the reconstruction of the large Romanesque churches in Cologne.

Life

Wilhelm Schlombs was born on April 24, 1920 in Cologne. Returned to Cologne as a discharged soldier shortly after the end of the Second World War, he took part in the recovery and securing of destroyed monuments under the city curator Hans Vogt . He then studied architecture at the Technical University of Aachen and then worked for a short time at the Cologne Building Department. In 1950 the Cologne cathedral master builder Willy Weyres called him to the Cologne Diocesan Building Office. Schlombs became archdiocesan master builder and headed the diocesan building department until his retirement in 1985. Wilhelm Schlombs died on August 25, 1993.

Schlombs was from 1949 until his death with Irmgard Schlombs geb. Lübke married. They had five daughters together. His daughter Adele Schlombs has been director of the Museum for East Asian Art in Cologne since 1991 .

Services

In addition to restoring the churches that were affected by the war, he campaigned for modern church building. This led to numerous church building projects, especially in the countries of Eastern Europe and East Asia, such as B. Tokyo Cathedral . He was particularly fond of the former Cologne Jesuit Church of St. Mariä Himmelfahrt , for whose reconstruction of the original furnishings he was responsible. In 1981 he co-founded the Friends of Roman Churches in Cologne and initiated the "Year of the Roman Churches" in 1985, the high point and conclusion of his active service. The church of St. Maria Königin des Friedens in Pulheim-Dansweiler was built in 1952/1953 according to his plans.

Honors

In 1998 a street in Cologne-Junkersdorf was named after him, Wilhelm-Schlombs-Allee. ( 50 ° 55 ′ 28.2 ″  N , 6 ° 52 ′ 21.7 ″  E )

Fonts

• The Development of the Confessional in the Catholic Church. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1965.
• Collegiate churches and parish churches in old Cologne. Organizational forms of pastoral care in Cologne and their changes. In: Romanesque in Cologne. FUSA (issue 8/9, 1982).
• Speech at the opening of the “Paul Nagel” exhibition in 1969. In: Ornatus Ecclesiae - Paul Nagel, Werke 1949–2005. VML-Verlag, 2005, pp. 33-36.

Web links

Commons : Wilhelm Schlombs  - Collection of Images