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What remains of the old church, the entire left side
was leveled and parts of the roof are missing. |
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| Light shines through the blue glass of the new church. |
In the middle of a popular shopping district here in Berlin, sits whats remains of a church almost completely destroyed during WWII. On its sides stands a bell tower and new church to serve as a memorial for its destruction. A translated excerpt taken from the minutes of the first meeting following the destruction of the church and provided by the museum read, "The chairman reported as follows: As a result of the raid of 22nd November, 1943 our church has been destroyed and made unusable. In the parsonage, the 4th floor, the roof and the loft are completely burned out and in the parish hall, similarly, the 3rd floor with the meeting-rooms, deaconesses' apartment and the organ blower. After an all-out effort the meeting-hall was sufficiently cleared to make it possible to hold services there on Christmas Eve 1943." This excerpt stuck out to me. Often times, we glorify war in the US because we've never experienced losses like those experienced across Europe during both World Wars. This quote made me feel the pain of those innocent, oppressed, caught in the middle of the war and simply trying to survive. Following the war, the allies refused to rebuild the church because they believed in was a symbol of excessive national pride. Instead, a new church and bell tower were built to serve as a memorial. Inside the church, walls of blue glass amaze church goers and tourists. The modern take on the church by the architects is anything besides what one may expect for a church. Theres no wooden benches, instead, there are rows of single chairs. I sat in one of these chairs for about 10 minutes reflecting on the pain Berliners at the time must have felt after losing so much then having to rebuild as a result of a an evil man who was able to manipulate the people of Germany. Overall, it was an eyeopening experience to see one of the many scars war has left on Germany.
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Cracks go through a mosaic on the old church's ceiling as a
result of nearly being destroyed. |
Alaina Sill
NUCC 2021
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