Seventy years separate the church tower and the nave of Hamburg’s Thomaskirche in Rothenburgsort. Yet together they form a unity. Their green copper roofs and red brick facades blend seamlessly. Originally built between 1883 and 1885 in the Neo-Gothic style for the arriving workforce the Thomaskirche was severely damaged. After a 1943 bombing only the outer walls and the tower remained. For the reconstruction Otto Kindt a student of the important reform architect Heinrich Tessenow was commissioned.
He shortened the tower shaft. He topped it with a flatter copper roof. He also built a modern church in the style of the post-war era. This new design wasn’t built within the original cross-shaped walls. Instead Kindt created an octagonal elongated hall. It has a copper-covered tent roof. This reflects the principles of the Wiesbaden Programme. Protestants agreed in 1890 that church architecture should emphasize community unity. The church was to be a gathering place. The Lord’s Supper would be at its center. Altar and pulpit would be equal.
Kindt achieved this. He centrally placed the altar and a lectern on a semicircular dais. These are clearly visible from every seat. The concentrically arranged church benches follow the same idea. The Wiesbaden Programme suggested the organ should be above the pulpit and altar. However the Thomaskirche’s 1967 organ sits behind the congregation.
The dome above the interior has a large blue background mural. It depicts sketched angels the eye of God surrounded by rays and a dove. Together with the monumental cross on the east wall it represents the Trinity. The church structure itself is modern. It is made of cost-effective steel-reinforced concrete. This allowed for new forms. Brick infill walls have multiple rows of small cross-shaped windows. Fewer rows are on the east wall. This is because a monumental cross dominates that space.
The original Neo-Gothic tower stands separately. It is now a solitary bell tower next to the modern church building. A small passage connects the two. After World War II the tower was shortened. Its pointed roof was replaced with a flat copper roof. No repairs had taken place since its reconstruction in 1956/57. The tower roof was therefore re-covered. Damaged bricks were replaced. The facade’s mortar joints were repaired. Doors were refurbished. Sound vents through which the bells ring were renewed. The German Foundation for Monument Protection supported this restoration. The Thomaskirche stands as a testament to Hamburg’s resilience and architectural evolution.