“A chapel in the village center?” a puzzled tourist asks. The Kapelle Hemmingen belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Trinitatis parish in Hemmingen-Westerfeld. This chapel stands in Hemmingen’s old village center.
Let’s explore this historic place. The chapel dates back to the mid-16th century. It’s a protected monument with a unique story.
Originally, this was a two-story fortified chapel. Like similar chapels in nearby villages, it served as a place of refuge during conflicts. Arnum, Devese and Harkenbleck also had such chapels.
Sometime after the Thirty Years’ War, changes occurred. The small window openings were bricked up, except on the east side. A pointed arch doorway and rectangular windows appeared on the south wall. The chapel’s roof is distinctive. It features half-hipped timber-framed gables. The west gable is covered with roof tiles. The east gable is bricked in.
A major renovation took place in the late 19th century around 1890. The belfry was replaced with a hexagonal roof turret on the west side of the roof. Since then, the entrance has been on the west side. A sandstone frame surrounds the door. The old door and two windows on the south side were replaced. Three large arched windows now illuminate the space. This renovation transformed the chapel into a hall church. Inside, the wooden intermediate ceiling was removed and a gallery was installed. The new weather vane on the roof turret displays the year 1956.
The Kapelle Hemmingen boasts a late Gothic wooden altar shrine. This is the central part of a winged altar. Sadly, its wings are missing.
The bell made in 1662 is special. Ludolf Siegfriedt cast the 54 cm diameter bell. An inscription says it was donated by all residents of “Dorfschaft Hemmy”.
In October 1998, the chapel received a new cabinet organ.
Until 1976, the Kapelle Hemmingen belonged to the parish of St. Vitus Church in Wilkenburg. Then, it joined the Trinitatis parish. This parish had been separated from the Hemmingen chapel community in 1949.
Today, the chapel hosts services once a month and on holidays. Concerts also take place here sometimes. The Kapelle Hemmingen connects the community to the past. It offers a space for reflection and celebration. It’s a small building but very important to Hemmingen’s history.