Have you ever felt the weight of history? Standing before the Dorfkirche Stralau you can almost touch it. This is Friedrichshain’s oldest church. It’s the oldest building remaining from the old village on the Stralau peninsula. Construction of the Dorfkirche Stralau began in 1459 and concluded in 1464. The consecration ceremony took place on August 24 1464.
The church’s location is quite unique. It sits on Stralauer Friedhof. This cemetery opened in 1412. That’s much earlier than the church itself. The church was built at a distance from the village proper. Perhaps floods caused this unusual placement. A brochure from a support association suggests a connection to a 13th-century knight’s estate. This was allegedly relocated to the interior of the peninsula.
The Dorfkirche Stralau has seen many changes. The Thirty Years’ War caused considerable damage. Repairs lasted until the 18th century. In 1709 an organ loft was added. The original wooden west tower suffered repeated damage from storms and lightning strikes. Architect Friedrich Wilhelm Langerhans rebuilt the tower in 1823-1824. His design resulted in a sturdy neo-Gothic bell tower. This is visible from afar.
Further alterations followed. The interior was raised from 1830 to 1832. This was to protect it from the Spree’s high water levels. A Gothic vestibule was added in 1895. It was mainly used for funerals. Stralau became its own parish in 1909.
The Dorfkirche Stralau’s unique features are stunning. The single-nave hall and the five-sided choir remain from the Middle Ages. They showcase the mixed brickwork typical of late Gothic architecture. Among Berlin’s late Gothic village churches. Stralau and Dahlem are the only ones with buttresses. These were needed to support the ribbed vaulting. The church’s late Gothic altar retable arrived in 1962. Before that the church had been without an altar for some years.
The church suffered significantly during World War II. An Allied air raid on February 26 1945 caused the collapse of the ribbed vault and the north wall of the nave. Restoration work lasted from 1947 to 1949. The church was re-consecrated on the Fourth Advent of 1951. A new organ was installed in 1952. Ten years later the church reinstated a medieval altar and font. Another renovation project ran from 2012 to 2014. A support association aided in this effort.
The Dorfkirche Stralau holds unique treasures. There are remnants of late Gothic stained glass. These are the only ones of their kind in Berlin. One window shows the Healing of Christ and dates from around 1460. The other depicts Saint George. This was created around 1510. The church’s octagonal limestone font is possibly older than the church itself. It came from the Märkisches Museum. It’s decorated with carved ornaments. The font has a Baroque brass baptismal bowl. It depicts the Fall of Man and the sealed gates of New Jerusalem. A replica of this bowl was stolen during filming in 1993. The original is now kept in a vault.
The Dorfkirche Stralau stands as a testament to time’s passage. It blends history with modern life. Its unique beauty is a captivating glimpse into Berlin’s past. It truly deserves a visit.