Mein Herze soll sich fort und fort an diesem und allem Ort zu Gottes Lobe neigen. This quote adorns the south side of the Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche in Mannheim. It is a line from Paul Gerhardt’s hymn “Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud”. But who was Paul Gerhardt and why is this church named after him?
The Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche stands as a testament to faith and community in Mannheim’s Neckarstadt-West district. It is an evangelical church built between 1959 and 1961. Gerhard Schlegel and Reinhold Kargel designed it.
To understand the church’s origins we must delve into Neckarstadt-West’s history. In the mid-19th century Mannheim’s population boomed. The city expanded across the Neckar River. In 1875 a vicarate was established for evangelical residents. Then in 1884 the Lutherkirche was built. But the population grew so rapidly that a larger building replaced it just 20 years later.
By 1925 a third parish, the West Parish, was created. In 1931 a community center was built for them on Eggenstraße now Paul-Gerhardt-Straße.
Sharing one church among three parishes became impractical. The Lutherkirche was also outside the West Parish boundaries. In 1955 the parish was renamed after the hymn writer Paul Gerhardt. Four years later the foundation stone for their own church was laid. On March 12 1961 the new church was consecrated.
The architects designed the Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche to address its busy location on Waldhofstraße. They created a closed cube facing the street. The community center connects to the church with a courtyard. The courtyard features concrete honeycomb walls a fountain and an open bell tower.
The tower holds three bells cast in 1960 by Glockengießerei Bachert in Karlsruhe. The large bell “Golgatha” rings with a c⁴. The middle bell “Wartburg” rings with an es⁴. The small bell “Lübben” rings with an f⁴. The church’s exterior walls are clad in yellow brick.
Inside the Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche red brickwork covers the walls. A visible steel tube octahedron construction forms the ceiling. The wall facing the inner courtyard is entirely glass. It provides a view of the community center. Blasius Spreng’s slate mosaic adorns the community center.
In 1971 Hilde Bitz became the pastor of the Paul-Gerhardt-Gemeinde. She was the first female pastor in the Evangelical Church in Baden. She remained in Neckarstadt until 1982. The Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche continues to be a spiritual and architectural landmark. It embodies the community’s enduring spirit.