2019-07

Ludenscheid Erloserkircher Church

Architectural Photography

Erlöserkirche (Church of the Redeemer) is in the center of the circular layout of the old city. The protestant church is the oldest in the town. Its tower dates from the 11th century, while the parish nave was rebuilt during the classicism period in the early 19th century. The Evangelische Erlöserkirche, which was called Medarduskirche until 1902, is the oldest church in Ludenscheid and stands in the center of the old town of Ludenscheid.

The church, or a predecessor, was first mentioned in 1072. Until the Reformation it was dedicated to St. Medardus, the patron saint of Lüdenscheid. In the 12th century, a late Romanesque two-aisle pillar basilica was built on the site of a Romanesque predecessor as a nave, the choir dates from the Gothic period. After dilapidation, it was demolished in 1822, but the Romanesque tower shaft was still preserved. On March 26, 1826, during the inauguration of the new, of the carried Becoming Abbey architect Engelbert Kleinhanz designed the nave. A design by the princely- Lippe master builderWilhelm Tappe , a son of Lüdenscheid, was rejected in 1823 in a report by Karl Friedrich Schinkel .

The tower of the Redeemer Church is probably the oldest surviving building in the city and dates from the 11th century. To the north and east, it has typical Romanesque arched friezes, which are however now covered by the nave roof. The upper floor, which was originally open to the nave, served in the manner of a "ruler gallery" as the seat of the landlord and as the Chapel of St. Michael.

The church has five bells and The bell system of the Redeemer Church was renovated in 1920 and 2000. The church tower did not receive the characteristic stepped dome, which still appears baroque, until 1785. It significantly shapes the cityscape of Lüdenscheid. The tower shaft is secured by 180 iron anchors and loosened decoratively at the same time. The classicist nave with apse is characterized by arched windows and pilasters that divide the facade. Inside there is a wooden vault and galleries. The pulpit altar is thought to have been designed by Adolf von Vagedes, a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel.