Perhaps you have passed by here many times without realizing the secrets held within these walls. This is the Kapelle Schr\u00f6derstift. It is more than just a building. It is a testament to compassion, resilience, and the enduring power of community.
The Schr\u00f6derstift began with a vision. Johann Heinrich Schr\u00f6der, a Hamburg merchant and banker, established a charitable foundation in 1852. His aim was to support those of higher social standing who had fallen on hard times, especially single women facing hardship through no fault of their own.
Architect Albert Rosengarten designed the original three-winged complex in the historicist style. The Kapelle Schr\u00f6derstift became its heart. It offered 52 small apartments each with two rooms and a kitchen. Over time, the Schr\u00f6derstift expanded in five phases to include 174 households for 278 residents. It became Hamburg’s largest charitable foundation with its own park.
Initially, the Kapelle Schr\u00f6derstift was a modest prayer room. Between 1894 and 1896, Schr\u00f6der’s nine children commissioned architect Albert Petersen to transform it. They expanded the chapel incorporating parts of adjacent buildings. It became a magnificent family burial site of marble for their parents’ sarcophagi.
The Schr\u00f6derstift faced immense challenges. In 1943, firebombs devastated much of the complex. Only the outer walls remained. The foundation struggled financially but managed to rebuild simple apartments through donations and loans. By the 1960s, the apartments lacked modern amenities. They had coal stoves and shared toilets.
Hamburg University needed space due to rising student numbers. The city and the Schr\u00f6derstift reached an agreement. The foundation received land in Kiwittsmoor and 11 million D-Mark for new construction. In return, the city took over the original complex. In 1971, the Schr\u00f6derstift moved and the second building was demolished.
The original three-winged complex was slated for demolition. Resistance grew from within the university, the architectural community, and the public. The Kapelle Schr\u00f6derstift became a focal point of preservation efforts. Most architectural designs for the new building integrated the chapel.
In the 1970s, the buildings fell into disrepair. The Mieterinitiative Schr\u00f6derstift, a tenants’ association, fought for basic living conditions. They demanded showers, washing machines, and a communal space. The tenants took matters into their own hands. They paid rent into their own account. They began self-help renovations.
Local government officials supported the tenants’ efforts to preserve this architectural and social landmark. The Hamburg Senate granted the Mieterselbstverwaltung Schr\u00f6derstift a lease for the 1.2-hectare site. They also provided financial assistance for renovations.
During the summer of 1982, traveling journeymen and local residents worked together to restore the buildings. They repaired war damage, rebuilt roofs, installed central heating and modernized apartments.
Originally, the Kapelle Schr\u00f6derstift had a small hall and a prayer room. After the burial grounds were closed, Schr\u00f6der’s children transformed the chapel into a family mausoleum. Petersen created a chapel in the Rundbogenstil entirely of marble. The sarcophagus hall serves as the altar for the Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox communities today.
The Greek Orthodox community used the Kapelle Schr\u00f6derstift for 33 years. As their congregation grew, they moved to the Simeon Church. In 2006, the Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox communities took over the Kapelle Schr\u00f6derstift. The original organ built in 1896 is now in the Orgelzentrum Valley.
The Kapelle Schr\u00f6derstift stands as a reminder. It reflects Hamburg’s history of philanthropy. It shows the community’s ability to unite to protect its heritage. Take a moment to appreciate this unique place where compassion and history intertwine.