Berlin: Maria Magdalena Catholic Church

1929 – 1930

Architect: Felix Sturm

Platanenstraße 22b, Berlin

The church in the style of late Expressionism was built in 1929 to 1930 according to a design by Felix Sturm in Berlin-Niederschönhausen and clad with Beuthener clinker bricks.

In 1907, the Catholic Church acquired a 3600 m² plot of land in Platanenstraße with the intention of building a church there.

On October 2, 1924, a church building fund was estab­lished, and by November 1927, a basic amount of about 19,000 Marks was available. However, the construction price was much higher, so that an appli­cation for financing was submitted to the Catholic Association of Greater Berlin.

The latter agreed to the construction of the church on the condition that the parish would have to bear the costs for the complete interior decoration itself.

Architect Felix Sturm from Pankow completed the design for the new church building, and the corner­stone was laid in May 1929.

In September 1930 the church was conse­crated in the name of St. Mary Magdalene as the church patroness.

The facade decoration on the tower is formed by story cornices, knob-like protruding corner­stones and trian­gular windows. Above three sound arcades of the same size, arranged next to each other in polygonal form, there are stepped cornices, finished with a flat tent roof.

The tower is surmounted by three spire crosses, origi­nally covered with gold leaf. Inside hang three steel bells newly installed in 1959.

The interior of the church is accessed through rectan­gular double doors with star motifs designed by the sculptor Paul Halbhuber. The star motif is repeated in the shape of the window above the portal.

The relief image above the portal, also designed by Paul Halbhuber in 1930, shows the appearance of the Lord after the Resurrection.

It bears the inscription Soli Deo Honor (Glory to God alone).

The interior of the church is largely original.

The semicir­cular apse with its verti­cally upward parabolic converging articu­la­tions surrounds the altar.

The vault parts are self-supporting and made of reinforced concrete. The piers in the nave and aisles as well as the triumphal arch and the gallery parapet are clad in shell limestone concrete.

The church was largely spared war damage, only the windows were partially destroyed.

Maria Magdalena, 1929–1930. Architect: Felix Sturm