Lost to time, the B\u00f6hmische-Bethlehemskirche once stood proudly. Today, we gather at Bethlehemkirchplatz. It is here where its story echoes through the ages.
King Frederick William I offered refuge to Czech Protestants. They were fleeing religious persecution in Bohemia. This act of generosity led to the construction of the Bethlehemskirche. The church became the heart of the Czech community in Berlin. This was from its completion in 1737 until its destruction in 1943.
Designed by Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs, the Bethlehemskirche was a unique round church. It stood 36.40 meters tall with a diameter of 15.70 meters. Inside, it accommodated 600 worshipers beneath a steep wooden dome. Eight dormer windows punctuated the dome. Four housed clocks, while the others provided light.
The Bethlehemskirche’s architecture reflected the era. It was a smaller version of the Dreifaltigkeitskirche. The royal house funded two bells. They were cast from a salvaged bell of the ruined Stiftskloster Gottes Gnade.
In 1753, Johann Peter Migendt built a small organ for the church. It had one manual and eight registers. Hermann Teschner replaced it in 1854. The original organ was rediscovered during a renovation in 1912. W. Sauer restored its case in 1913. A new two-manual instrument with 22 registers was installed.
Gustav Knak added images of the four evangelists to the dome. This upset the Reformed community. They adhered to a strict ban on images. Stained glass windows depicting the Nativity were added in 1883. Otto Linnemann created them.
The Bethlehemskirche’s name links it to the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. This was where Johannes Hus preached. The Bohemian exiles in Berlin embraced this legacy. They identified with the traditions of the Bohemian Brethren.
Initially, sermons were in Czech. German sermons began in 1750. By 1747, the community split into three congregations. There was a Herrnhuter Brethren group, a Bohemian-Lutheran group, and a Bohemian-Reformed group.
Frederick II decreed the Lutheran and Reformed groups would share the Bethlehemskirche. The Brethren established their own prayer room in 1751.
In 1829, Reformed preacher Benjamin David Elsner passed his duties to Lutheran preacher Johannes Evangelista Go\u00dfner. The Reformed presbytery protested. They cited promises made by Frederick William I. The consistory denied the Reformed community the right to appoint their own preacher.
Both congregations maintained their distinct identities. They were part of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia.
The two congregations jointly maintained the Bohemian Cemetery. The Bohemian-Reformed congregation has had a second preaching place. It is located in B\u00f6hmisch-Rixdorf since 1751.
Pastor Walter Nordmann served the Reformed community from 1935 to 1945. He joined the Confessing Church. The Reformed congregation aided the Dutch Reformed community. Many Dutch forced laborers joined during the war.
Lutheran pastor Otto Schulz belonged to the Confessing Church in Neuk\u00f6lln. He supported members of Jewish origin. The church custodian, Gerhard Mieth, his half-Jewish wife, and their children survived persecution. Eva Mamlok’s family lived there until their deportation in 1942.
Allied bombing destroyed the Bethlehemskirche on November 24, 1943. It was demolished in 1963.
After the Berlin Wall, the Br\u00fcdergemeine used rooms on Kalkscheunenstra\u00dfe. The Reformed community joined the K\u00f6penicker Schlosskirchengemeinde. The Lutheran congregations merged. The Reformed congregation restored its prayer room.
Today, the great bell resides in Neuk\u00f6lln. It is in the prayer room of the Evangelical Reformed Bethlehem congregation.
The Bethlehemkirchplatz was once known as Hammelmarkt. In 1999, it was renamed in memory of the Bethlehemskirche. The church’s outline is marked in the pavement. Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s sculpture, Houseball, commemorates the church. It symbolizes the few belongings the refugees carried.
Juan Garaizabal created the Memoria Urbana Berlin in 2012. It is a steel sculpture. It recreates the church’s outline as a light installation.
The Bethlehemskirche is a reminder. It stands for freedom of conscience and the welcoming of immigrants. It embodies the spirit of Europeanism.