Presbyterian Church (Kalk)
Neo-Gothic evangelical parish church in Cologne-Kalk, demolished in 1951 to make way for the expansion of the Chemische Fabrik Kalk.
The Presbyterian Church was built because the prayer hall in the Kalk congregation house had grown too small. Its design followed the Eisenach Regulations, the guiding principles for Protestant church architecture issued in 1861.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Evangelical parish church (no longer standing)
- Location
- Vietorstraße, Kalk district
- Built
- 1878–1880
- Architect
- August Albes, pupil of Conrad Wilhelm Hase
- Style
- Neo-Gothic
- Form
- Three-aisled brick hall church with a single-tower facade
- Fate
- Demolished by controlled explosion in 1951
The Presbyterian Church was not demolished due to structural damage, but deliberately blown up in 1951 solely to expand the grounds of the adjacent Chemische Fabrik Kalk chemical plant – even though its tower and outer walls had survived the war intact.
History
In the early 1870s the congregation resolved to build its own place of worship. August Albes drew up the plans, and the church was completed on Vietorstraße between 1878 and 1880. World War II left the building badly damaged — the roof and vaults collapsed, leaving only the tower and outer walls standing. In 1951 the ruins were blown up to allow the neighbouring Chemische Fabrik Kalk to expand its site. The congregation wasted little time: on 23 December of that same year they consecrated their new Jesus-Christus-Kirche on Buchforststraße.
Architecture
The Eisenach Regulations prescribed Gothic forms, an east–west orientation, and the separate placement of altar, pulpit, and organ. The brick structure rose over three aisles beneath a single tower, with a shallow transept to the west whose arms flanked the tower between two-storey stair turrets. The narrow side aisles served purely as passages leading to the baptistery and sacristy. Beyond an entrance bay, the choir closed in three sides, and cross-rib vaults spanned the interior throughout.
Notable Facts
The evangelical Luther Church in Cologne-Nippes, built between 1886 and 1889, received almost exactly the same architectural form. The organ was funded by the chemist Hermann Grüneberg, while his brother Barnim Grüneberg — based in Stettin — built the instrument itself. The bells were a gift from the wife of Julius Vorster.
Timeline
- 1861Eisenach Regulation: Protestant church construction decree
- um 1870Decision to build a dedicated parish church in Kalk
- 1878–1880Construction of the Presbyterian Church on Vietorstraße in Kalk
- 1886–1889Construction of the nearly identical Luther Church in Cologne-Nippes
- 1939–1945Damage in World War II; roof and vaults collapsed
- 1951Demolition of the church to expand the Kalk chemical factory
- 23. Dezember 1951Consecration of the new Jesus-Christus-Kirche on Buchforststraße
Map
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-27