Christuskirche, Protestant church in Bochum-Mitte, Germany
Christuskirche is a Protestant church next to Bochum's town hall. Its 72-metre tower, completed in 1878, is built of dark grey and cream Obernkirchen sandstone blocks in several stages, with pointed-arch louvered openings, corner pinnacles and a jagged-edged pyramidal spire. The nave, rebuilt by Dieter Oesterlen in 1956–1959, has a stepped plan, brick walls and wall-high concrete-glass windows by Helmut Lander.
The neo-Gothic church, designed by the Krefeld firm Hartel and Quester and built by Heinrich Schwenger, was begun in 1877; its 72-metre tower was finished on 24 October 1878. The church was destroyed in a bombing raid on 14 May 1943. The nave was rebuilt from 1956 to 1959 by Dieter Oesterlen, while the tower, which had housed a memorial hall since 1931, was preserved.
The church is known as the "Church of Cultures" and hosts the Square of European Promise, designed by artist Jochen Gerz for Ruhr 2010. The square's basalt slabs carry the names of local citizens who pledged a promise for Europe. The tower hall holds a memorial with gold mosaics listing 30 soldiers of 1870–71, 1,362 of World War I, and 25 states.
The tower hall memorial, long used as a chair store, opened to the public at the 1999 Day of the Open Monument. The five cast-steel bells of 1958 are too heavy for the tower and ring only in a limited way; the full peal sounds once a year on 11 September from 14:46 to 15:03.
The forecourt features the Square of European Promise, with basalt slabs bearing the names of local citizens inscribed upon them. This installation records personal peace commitments from residents, creating a physical archive of community values.
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