Christuskirche, Gothic Revival church in Karlsruhe, Germany.
The Christuskirche is a Protestant church built from 1896 to 1900 by the Karlsruhe architects Curjel & Moser at the Mühlburger Tor, the entrance to the Weststadt. It combines Neo-Gothic forms with Jugendstil elements; the sculptural decoration was designed by Wilhelm Sauer, Hermann Binz and Fridolin Dietsche. Its tower carries a six-bell bronze peal, including the Friedensglocke cast in 2004.
The Christuskirche was built from 1896 to 1900 by the Karlsruhe architects Curjel & Moser at the Mühlburger Tor, the entrance to the Weststadt. After a competition, the two architects revised their winning design and erected the church in Neo-Gothic forms with Jugendstil elements; it was consecrated on 14 October 1900. In June 1942 its bells were removed for melting down for armaments, and the church was badly damaged in the air raids of 2–3 September 1942 and 4–5 December 1944, including the rose window of the main entrance. Reconstruction began immediately after the war, and the original tower spire was rebuilt in 1985–1988.
The church is Protestant (evangelisch), not Lutheran. Its musical tradition is long-standing: an oratorio choir, a chamber choir and a brass ensemble take part in services and give regular concerts, and youth work runs through the Cantus Juvenum singing school shared with the Evangelische Stadtkirche. Carsten Wiebusch was cantor and organist from 1999 to 2017; Peter Gortner took over as cantor in 2018, while Wiebusch remains active as organist.
The church is easily accessible by public transportation, with the nearest tram station just a short walk away. Visitors should note that during worship services certain areas may not be freely accessible to tourists.
The largest church bell in Baden-Württemberg hangs here: the Friedensglocke, cast by Bachert on 24 September 2004 and designed by Emil Wachter. Around 1,000 donors are engraved on it, and it rings daily at noon for about five minutes as a call to pray for peace. A smaller 320 kg bell in c2 was cast the next day for Strasbourg Cathedral.
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