Kreuzkirche, Graz, Protestant church in Innere Stadt, Graz, Austria

The Kreuzkirche in Graz is a Protestant church located in the Innere Stadt district, designed by Otto Kuhlmann with clean architectural lines. The building combines functional spaces with structured design elements that shape both its interior and exterior appearance.

Around 1900, population growth on the right bank of the Mur led Graz's Protestants to plan a new parish. In 1908 they bought the 17th-century Mühl-Schlössl as a rectory, and a bequest from Ida Albrecht of Mecklenburg funded the church. Berlin professor Otto Kuhlmann won the competition, ahead of Theiss and Jaksch and Otto Bartning, and the church was built from 1912 to 1914 and consecrated that year.

The church is named for the cross, and its altar painting is a copy of Rubens's Crucifixion made by the Graz painter Alfred Schrötter von Kristelli. In 1915 the sculptor Hans Brandstetter carved a stone relief bust of the unknown benefactor who paid for the church; it stands in the tower room. A Baroque altar of St Paul the Hermit, from the former chapel of the neighbouring Mühlschlössl rectory, is in the stairway to the organ gallery.

Access to the church is available during scheduled services and events, and it is best to check in advance for visiting hours. Contacting the parish office beforehand will ensure you can enter when you arrive.

The stone relief bust of the church's unknown benefactor, carved by sculptor Hans Brandstetter in 1915, stands in the tower room. Her identity, the Mecklenburg donor Ida Albrecht, was only established in 2014. A Baroque altar of St. Paul the Hermit from the former chapel of the Mühlschlössl rectory stands on the way up to the organ gallery.