Friedenskirche (Köln-Mülheim)
Oldest Protestant church building in present-day Cologne – named after the peaceful union of two congregations in 1837.
The Friedenskirche in the Mülheim district is the oldest Protestant church building in present-day Cologne. It takes its name from the peaceful union of two formerly independent congregations.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Protestant church
- Location
- Wallstraße 70–72, Mülheim district
- Form
- Cruciform structure with lantern and projecting tower
- Architecture
- Three tall Neo-Romanesque sound windows on each side of the tower
- Organ
- Symphonic instrument with 37 stops (approx. 1,800 pipes)
The 1791 organ featured a remarkable mechanism: a light key press sounded only the Positiv, while fully depressing the key engaged the rest of the organ – an innovative technique that allowed the organist to subtly guide the congregation during hymn singing.
Congregation History
In 1610, Lutherans and Calvinists in the Duchy of Jülich-Berg were granted the right to build a church in Mülheim and call a pastor – a year considered the congregation's founding date. Several predecessor buildings were lost: to the fire of 1615, and later to ice floes on the Rhine in February 1784. In 1837, King Frederick William III united the formerly independent congregations within the Old Prussian Union; the name Friedenskirche (Peace Church) derives from this peaceful merger.
Church Building
The current building on Wallstraße, set slightly further from the Rhine, was consecrated as early as 1786, designed by architect Willhelm Hellwig. Between 1845 and 1848, a tower designed by Cologne Cathedral architect Ernst Friedrich Zwirner was added to the cruciform structure, which is crowned by a lantern. Particularly striking are the three tall Neo-Romanesque sound windows on each side beneath the tower's crown.
Destruction and Reconstruction
In World War II the district was largely destroyed by air raids, especially the strikes of 28 October 1944. The church was rebuilt by Carl and Karl-Heinz Klag and reconsecrated in 1960. The former double-curved spire with lantern was not restored; the tower now ends in a flat Romanesque pyramid. The interior was redesigned in 1998/99.
Organs
In 1791 the church received an organ by Johann Christian Kleine with 27 stops, notable for its stacked arrangement of altar, pulpit, and organ – with the pulpit incorporated into the organ case. A special mechanism allowed only the positiv to sound with a light touch of the keys, and the full instrument with a firm press. This instrument was destroyed in World War II. A Neo-Baroque successor by Willi Peter followed in 1965 and was decommissioned in 2016. Since 2017, a symphonic instrument by Gerald Woehl with 37 stops and around 1,800 pipes has stood in the west gallery; its façade takes its cues from the original 1791 organ.
Timeline
- 1610Founding year of the Protestant congregation in Mülheim am Rhein
- 1615Fire destroys Mülheim; churches are lost
- 1784Church building destroyed by Rhine ice drift in February
- 1786New building at Wallstraße 70–72 consecrated (architect Willhelm Hellwig)
- 1837Congregations merged; church renamed 'Friedenskirche'
- 1845–1848Tower added based on designs by cathedral architect Ernst Friedrich Zwirner
- 1944Severe war damage from air raids (incl. 28 October 1944)
- 1960Rebuilt Friedenskirche re-consecrated (architects Carl and Karl-Heinz Klag)
Map
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26