GERMANY – Designation as ‘monument’ might not save church from demolition

Last year the St Joseph-Kirche in Bauchem, Germany, was placed on the list to be demolished to make way for a home for the elderly. The building is a typical example of 1970’s church architecture, and the announced demolition has met with much protest. In an effort to prevent the disappearance of the church, the Landschaftsverband Rheinland has now filed a request for the building to be designated as a Monument. However, even if this status is granted, the planned demolition could still take place, if the government judges that the parish is unable to sustain the building. Read the full article in German here.

The St. Maximilian-Kolbe-Kirche in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg, another modernist church already designated as a monument, is also threatened with demolition despite that status. Read more, in German, here.

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