Friedenskirche Köln-Ehrenfeld, Protestant church building in Ehrenfeld, Cologne, Germany
Friedenskirche Köln-Ehrenfeld is a Protestant hall church built in 1876 to plans by Carl Theodor Coerper in the Rundbogenstil, with a brick facade, round-arched windows and a 41.50-metre tower completed in 1877. Inside, a large gallery holds the two-manual Willi-Peter organ from 1955, restored in 2018, and the choir retains a mosaic war memorial.
The church was built in 1876 to plans by Berlin architect Carl Theodor Coerper as a hall church in the round-arch style; the foundation stone was laid on 30 April and the church was consecrated on 19 December 1876. The 41.50-metre tower was completed in 1877, the same year the first two bells were hung. Those bronze bells were confiscated for melting in 1917; a third bell of cast steel survived, and the ring was restored to three bells in 1923. Bomb damage in 1942 and 1944 led to rebuilding under Heinrich Stork in 1946–49, and the church was renamed Friedenskirche only in 1950.
The name Peace Church was given in 1950 after World War II as a sign of hope for reconciliation. Today it remains a gathering place where people from the neighborhood come together for celebrations, remembrance, and mutual support.
The Friedenskirche stands in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, a short walk from the district's tram and bus stops. Inside, a large gallery holds the two-manual Willi-Peter organ of 1955, restored in 2018 and used for concerts outside services. The 'Offener Treff' programme of talks and readings takes place regularly in the renovated church.
The two bronze bells hung in 1877 were confiscated on 10 April 1917 for melting down, as bronze was sought after by the armaments industry; only the third bell, cast in steel, escaped this fate. In 1923 the peal was completed again with three bells.
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