Downtown Lutheran Church, Lutheran church in downtown Miskolc, Hungary.
The Downtown Lutheran Church stands in the Luther Courtyard off Miskolc's Hunyadi János Street, set back from the street front. It has a cross-shaped plan with a straight-ended chancel, a tower projecting forward from the main facade, and side elevations divided by pilasters. The nave and transepts carry Bohemian vaults, and multi-level galleries were built into the transept arms in 1820.
The Lutheran congregation formed in Miskolc from the late 17th century through incoming Zipser and Slovak families, and received permission to build a church from Joseph II in 1783. The first church, financed chiefly by Ferenc Radvánszky, was finished in 1797 and burned down after a lightning strike in 1817. Rebuilt with its remains between 1817 and 1820, it was damaged again in the great fire of 1843, and its tower reached full height only in 1864.
The altarpiece, painted by Bertalan Székely in 1897, depicts Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the courtyard stands a statue of Gusztáv Csengey (1842–1925), a Lutheran theologian, teacher and poet, carved by Dezső Borsodi Bindász. The church has hosted concerts since the turn of the millennium.
The church stands at 8 Hunyadi János Street, set back from the street in the Luther Courtyard; the 60-metre tower is visible from several points in the city centre. The courtyard also holds the former Lutheran school and a statue of Gusztáv Csengey. Concerts have been held in the church since around 2000.
The two steel bells in the tower were cast in Bochum in 1865 and donated by wealthy families of the congregation; the larger one weighs 1681 kg and is the second-largest non-bronze bell in Hungary. The smaller weighs 1005 kg.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,361 contributors worldwide.