Stuttgart: Kreuzkirche

1928 – 1930

Architects: Paul Trüdinger, Hans Volkart

Amstetter Straße 25, Stuttgart-Hedelfingen, Germany

The New Protestant Church (since 1980: Kreuzkirche) in Stuttgart-Hedelfingen was built between 1928 and 1930 according to designs by the Stuttgart architectural firm of Hans Volkart and Paul Trüdinger in the New Objectivity style.

Construction

The foundation stone was laid on September 29, 1929, and the church was consecrated on October 26, 1930.

The building, in the form of a basilica, is based on a steel skeleton lined with hollow pumice concrete blocks.

The 25-meter-high, block-like tower accommodates the parish rooms on its lower floors.

Adjacent to the nave are the cubic structures of the parish hall and the reading room.

A semicircular apse forms the eastern end of the church.

Thanks to the modern steel skeleton construction, the entire width of the large church hall with a total of 272 seats is bridged without supports.

The transverse rectangular chancel is elevated by several steps. The pulpit projects into the congregation area.

The semicircular pew allows the sanctuary to be used as a celebration church.

Interior

Behind the large cross in the final circle was the organ until the 1960s. Only the front pipes of the organ are still present today.

The parish hall can be connected to the church hall by a supportless folding wall.

A continuous light band designed by Walter Kohler with a Bible text (One body and one spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above you all) makes the ceiling appear to float.

The south side is occupied by a large window designed by Rudolf Yelin.

The windows were destroyed during the war and have been renewed. Otherwise, the church is almost completely preserved in its original form.

The entire interior decoration was designed by Paul Trüdinger. He contracted out the execution of his designs to locally based firms.

The interior furnishings largely correspond to the condition of 1930.

Renovation

In the 1950s, Wolf-Dieter Kohler, the son of Walter Kohler, was commissioned to reconstruct the light band and to recreate the two windows by Rudolf Yelin.

In 1980, the interior was renovated, and from 2002 to 2003, the exterior was restored in accordance with the preservation order.