Dorper Kirche Solingen, Protestant church in Burg/Höhscheid, Solingen, Germany
The Dorper Kirche is a church building in Solingen built between 1913 and 1914 in the Art Nouveau style, featuring the characteristic architecture of that era. The structure contains stained glass windows from the 1950s, a large pipe organ with 30 registers, and a modern heating system installed during extensive renovations from 2005 to 2008.
The Dorper Kirche was built to a design by Elberfeld architect Arno Eugen Fritsche; its foundation stone was laid on 10 March 1913 and it was consecrated on 19 May 1914. A 4 November 1944 air raid on Solingen's southern district badly damaged it, and weather caused further harm. Architect Wilhelm Schrader led the rebuild, and after the interior was completely redesigned the church was used again from 15 March 1953. A support association founded in 2004 funded restoration work carried out from 2005 to 2008, and the church reopened in 2007.
The church takes its name from the Dorp district, which merged with Solingen in 1889 and shaped local community life. The interior reflects different phases: the original simple arrangement of altar and pulpit, the modern stained glass windows from 1953, and the electric organ from the 1950s show how worship and community use evolved over time.
The church stands on the Maushöhe, next to the Grünbaumstraße cemetery whose chapel Arno Eugen Fritsche also designed in 1903. The main portal sits at the base of the square tower, and a yellow signpost nearby points toward Remscheid and SG-Burg. The building was closed around 2000 when its condition became critical, and a support association founded in 2004 raised money for the restoration carried out from 2005 to 2008.
A Stolperstein in front of the church commemorates Dr. Fritz Wieter, who was taken into protective custody in 1937 and then worked illegally for the Confessing Church. Elected pastor of Solingen-Dorp on 25 January 1942, he was conscripted and has been missing in Italy since 5 May 1943.
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