Friedenskirche (Hillbrow)

The Friedenskirche or Church of Peace is situated at 30, Edith Cavell Street, Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1912 and houses the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Johannesburg which was established in 1888 as the Deutsch-Evangelische Gemeinde zu Johannesburg (German-Evangelical Congregation of Johannesburg). The building was designed in the Neo-Romanesque style by the Swiss-born architect Theophile Schaerer. The tall bell tower on a rocky prominence above Twist Street remains a landmark to this day.HistoryThe congregation was formed in 1888 after a memorial service had been held on 20 March by the local missionary, Hermann KuschkeHermann Kuschke, for Kaiser Wilhelm I who had died on 9 March. Two years later the congregation had built a small church on a stand given to them by the South African Republic government. That building served them for twenty-two years.The 'Friedenskirche' which is also known as the Church of Peace of the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation was designed by the Swiss-born architect Theophile Schaerer in a Neo-Romanesque manner and includes elements of other classical styles. It was built in 1912 on grounds lent to the German community by the executive of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek in 1895 free of charge. This land was acquired by the church in 1906 from the government of the Transvaal Colony.The church was inaugurated on 22 September 1912. At that time its position on a rocky prominence, high above Twist Street, surrounded by single and double storey dwellings, made it a striking landmark. A distinction it hasn't quite lost yet in spite of high-rise buildings towering over it.

Tags : #EvangelicalChurch, #LandmarkHistoricalPlace, #Landmark&HistoricalPlace