Pause for a moment. We are standing before a testament to time. This is the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche Fröttmaning. It is Munich’s oldest preserved church. Fröttmaning became part of Munich in 1931.
Let’s step back in time. The church’s story begins before 815. The village of Fröttmaning was first officially mentioned then. A donation deed from 815 is Bavaria’s oldest document. The noble Situli family gave a wooden church and farmland to the Freising bishopric. Bishop Hitto of Freising consecrated it.
The late Romanesque building we see today largely dates to the early 13th century. Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche Fröttmaning is a “Chorturmkirche”. These churches with steeples above the choir were typical for the Bishopric of Freising. The spire is eighteen meters high. The church is fifteen meters long and nearly seven meters wide.
Inside, rare Romanesque frescoes adorn the walls. Discovered in 1981 during renovations, they were painted directly onto the red bricks. Lime paint was used. Painted circles around a tree symbolize the sun. One wall painting is Bavaria’s oldest Christ representation.
Most of the church’s interior dates from the Baroque period. Pupils of the Asam brothers painted the ceiling fresco around 1740. It depicts the worship of the Holy Cross. Kaiser Herakleios brought the cross back from Jerusalem in 629.
Now, imagine the church threatened not once, but multiple times. In the 1930s, Heilig-Kreuz became a subsidiary church of St. Albert in Munich-Freimann. The construction of Munich’s highway ring endangered it. Citizens led by Ludwig Maile shifted the Autobahnkreuz München-Nord. It originally planned to run right over the cemetery and church.
After the last farms were demolished for highway construction in 1969, Heilig-Kreuz stood alone. By 1971, the church was neglected and plundered. Valuable artworks and 15th-century bells disappeared. In 1984, plans arose to extend a landfill to the church walls. Citizen protests stopped this plan.
Later, citizens intervened again for Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche Fröttmaning. This time, it was for the nearby Allianz Arena’s development plan. The rescue road and bridge had to be moved two hundred meters south.
In 2006, an artwork was created near Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche Fröttmaning. Timm Ulrichs created a replica of the Romanesque church in original size. It’s made from painted precast concrete parts. This “sunken village” sits at the foot of the Fröttmaning rubble mountain. It symbolizes the disappearance of the former village. The copy is arranged to appear half-buried.
Thus, Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche Fröttmaning stands as a symbol. It is a testament to a village’s past. It is a survivor against modern development. It is a canvas showing artistic expression. Remember this unique blend of history, art, and resilience.