Saturday, July 14, 2012

Saturday's postcard: Ringkirche in Wiesbaden, Germany

This is an undated old postcard1 of Ringkirche (Circle Church), a 19th century Protestant church in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Here is a description of the church from the English-language version2 of Wiesbaden's official website:
"Until the erection of the Ring Church, there was not really a Protestant tradition of ecclesiastical architecture, and Protestant churches were based on Catholic models. The Berlin architect Johannes Otzen built the Ring church, following the so-called 'Wiesbaden Programme', developed in 1890 by the Wiesbaden pastor Emil Veesenmeyer. This plan oriented Protestant church architecture to the needs of Protestant services. Thus the altar, pulpit, choir loft and organ are visible and audible to everyone seated in this church (capacity 1100), which was consecrated in 1894. Because of the interior design and the care with which the church's external appearance corresponded to the requirements of urban planning, it was declared a German national monument in 2002. Visitors will find a 'monument of German architecture' (Otzen) built using high-quality materials and with a uniform architectural style, namely the transitional style from the Romanesque to the Gothic style. It is one of the few churches of its era not spoilt by either the impact of the war or by later changes. Even the Romantic Walcker organ of 1894 still has 75% of its original sound."

Footnotes
1. The publishing credit is Verlag Horst Ziethen, Frechen-Köln, Hauptstr. 7
2. Wiesbaden is home to about 10,000 United States citizens, most of whom are based at the Lucius D. Clay Kaserne military complex and airfield. The complex is going to grow, as it is slated to become the new site for the United States Army's European headquarters, with the transition beginning this fall.

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