Nathanaelkirche (Bilderstöckchen)
A 1965 Protestant church with a hexagonal footprint, its free-standing campanile rises on three tapering concrete legs like a modernist sculpture.
The Protestant Nathanael congregation gathers in this church in the Cologne district of Bilderstöckchen, named after the apostle Nathanael. The building forms part of a community centre that also includes a nursery.
At a Glance
- Type
- Protestant church with community centre
- Location
- Cologne-Bilderstöckchen, Nippes borough
- Completed
- 1965; campanile added 1974
- Architects
- Jürgen Hartmann and Hans Berger
- Style
- Modernist
- Footprint
- Hexagonal
- Seating
- 300
- Highlight
- Free-standing bell tower shaped as a concrete sculpture on three legs
The free-standing bell tower of Nathanaelkirche is designed as a concrete sculpture on three tapering legs, with one leg deliberately forming a cross together with the base plate – architecture and Christian symbolism literally become the load-bearing structure.
Things to do here
- Marvel at the modern hexagonal church from 1965
- Discover the free-standing concrete campanile on three legs
- Contemplate the altar window with its twelve smaller panes
- Take in the exposed concrete, wood and glass of the quiet interior
- View the colourful mural "Sich begegnen" behind the pulpit
- Photograph the striking architecture
History
Bilderstöckchen was originally part of the Nippes parish, transferred to Weidenpesch in 1957, and became an independent congregation in 1962 — today part of the Cologne-Left-Rhine church district of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland. After a plot was purchased in 1963, construction of the centre and its integrated church began in 1964.
Architecture
The church, several meeting rooms and the hall all follow the same hexagonal plan. Above the red-brick centre, the church's angled glass gable facade rises prominently, enclosing the largest space on the site. Exposed concrete, timber, glass, metal bracing and an expansive slate roof are the defining materials. A funnel-shaped forecourt leads to the entrance, which opens into a vestibule before the nave.
The Bell Tower
The detached campanile, added in 1974 at the corner of Escher Straße and Parkgürtel, is the building's most striking feature. Three tapering legs carry the concrete-sculpted tower; on top sits a timber bell frame on a square base beneath a triangular cap. One of the legs merges with the base to form a cross. The three bells are tuned to harmonise with those of the neighbouring Catholic church of St Francis.
Interior
Broad exposed-concrete walls and a timber ceiling give the interior a restrained, contemplative quality. The floor slopes gently toward the altar, which sits two steps higher and draws the eye to the centre — it and the other principal furnishings were created by artist Heinz Heiber. An ox-blood-red stone block is crowned by a delicate steel cross. Behind the pulpit hangs the mural Sich begegnen (Encounter) — the only polychrome element in the space — representing the relationship between people and with Jesus Christ. On the opposite side of the altar, a projecting wall and lowered ceiling define an intimate baptistery; its font depicts a seated, enthroned Christ.
The Altar Window
Behind the altar, a large square pane is surrounded by twelve interlocking smaller windows — an allusion both to the heavenly Jerusalem with its twelve gates and to Christ and his twelve apostles. The organ was built in 1974 by Willi Peter.
Timeline
- 1957Bilderstöckchen belongs to the Nippes parish
- 1962Affiliation with Weidenpesch ends, independent parish established
- 1963Plot for the community centre acquired
- 1964Construction of the community centre with integrated church begins
- 1965Church building completed
- 1974Distinctive campanile erected at the Escher Straße/Parkgürtel junction
- 1974Organ built by Willi Peter (II/P, 8 stops)
Map
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Address
Escher Str. 160
50739 Köln
Hours
Mo: 11:00–12:00
Di: 11:00–12:00
Mi: 11:00–12:00
Do: 18:00–19:00
Fr: 11:00–12:00
So: 09:30–10:30
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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