Hospitalkirche, Gothic monastery church in Stuttgart-Mitte, Germany
The Hospitalkirche is a Gothic church in Stuttgart-Mitte whose nave survives as a war ruin, while only the choir and the tower were rebuilt after 1944. The choir holds the original 1501 crucifixion group by Hans Seyfer, and the tower, with two clock faces and a multi-sided cupola, rises behind a steep red-tiled roof.
The building was constructed between 1471 and 1493 by master builder Aberlin Jörg and originally belonged to a Dominican monastery. Following the Reformation, the site changed use and became a hospital, a purpose reflected in its name today.
The Sachsenheim Altar of 1489 and 16th- and 17th-century tombs survive from the original furnishings. In the choir stands the original 1501 Crucifixion group by Hans Seyfer, moved here from behind the Leonhardskirche, where a 1976 copy now stands. The composer Leonhard Lechner, who died in 1606, is buried in the church.
The nave survives only as a roofless war ruin, so the visit centres on the restored choir and tower; the choir holds the 1501 crucifixion group by Hans Seyfer. The church and the adjoining Hospitalhof form a courtyard ensemble, and the baptismal font of 1809 now stands in that inner courtyard. The Hospitalplatz on the south-east side has been a pedestrian zone since 2015.
The nave was left as a war ruin after 1944, but the church keeps a 1501 crucifixion group by Hans Seyfer in the choir; the version behind the Leonhardskirche today is a 1976 copy. The composer Leonhard Lechner, who died in 1606, is buried here.
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