Schlosskirche (Königsberg)
The Castle Church of Königsberg was built in brick gothic coronation church in Königsberg Castle.
Description
The church, with a length of 83 meters and a width of 18 meters occupied the entire west side of the castle. From the outside, it was by two massive round towers, ( Wilhelmplatz corner Gesecusplatz ) and ( Gesecusplatz corner of Castle Street ) secured. The steeple, which was also the castle tower at the same time, stood in the south-west side of the castle, and had received in 1866 by Friedrich August Stiller a new helmet. His clock played by 11 clock the chorale Abide with your grace and by 21 clock now rest all forests.
About the Castle Church was the Moskowitersaal. One entered the church from the courtyard coming through the eastern long side. To the left of the entrance to the pulpit altar of 1706 was housed in a choir niche. The altar, pulpit, gallery and royal box were in the Baroque style. Inside, the nave church was originally worn centered after reconstruction in 1806 by four slender columns, the two shared the church and ran out in a filigree gothic cross rib vault. On the western, southern and northern side balconies were built for expansion. The organ came from the 1731 / 32nd On the walls, columns and gallery balustrades commemorative plaques for the fallen soldiers of East Prussia in 1813 and the coats of arms of the Knights of the Black Eagle Order were attached. Since she was also a garrison church since 1816, the panels containing the names of battles and troops. Interesting were the four roundels ( 1 " announcing the birth of Jesus ," second " birth of Jesus ", 3 " Ecce homo" ( Christ with crown of thorns ) and 4 "Christ Magdalene appears as a gardener " ) by Anton Möller, 1563 -1611 ( famous as the " painter of Danzig" ) on the outer doors as well as those of the large central space inside the " Royal Lodge".
History
Duke Albrecht Friedrich of Prussia had the Königsberg Castle expand as the residence of dependent country of Poland glory. He wanted in Königsberg Castle build a church and a large banqueting and reception hall, so as to increase the residential palace of the dukes to the Municipal House of the Duchy of Prussia ( 1584 by Blasius Berwart, one coming from Stuttgart architect, started and the master stonemason Michel to 1587 and finally completed by Hans Wismar 1593). Thus, the two massive round towers limited two-aisled kept low castle church, on the south to the north, pulling rises the huge Moskowitersaal arose. The Castle Church became the first country church. His predecessor Albrecht had converted the land to the Lutheran faith, and it turned this church, in the ducal residence, the symbolization of the Lutheran idea of the unity of throne and altar dar. Therefore, it was also the corpse of the Great Elector laid or the funeral of Queen Louise held.
Frederick I established there on January 17, 1701 Black Eagle. On the following day he was in the castle church anoint by two bishops and he crowned himself in the throne room of the castle for the first King in Prussia. The coronation devoured a 2 ½ times the annual budget; see coronation of Frederick III .. For this reason, the fuel-efficient successor could only pay homage to the enthronement. Only when it came to disputes due to the adopted Prussian constitution of 1850, whether the enthronement had now to be done by Hereditary Homage or perform prescribed by the Constitution oath to William I decided to crown himself again in Königsberg. As part of this magnificent coronation on October 18, 1861 meeting, he pointed the unbearable for him constitution in his oath, but only to " the grace of God bear Prussia kings for 160 years the crown. After the throne is surrounded by contemporary furnishings, I board him as king. But bearing in mind that the crown comes only from God, I have expressed by the coronation of sacred place that I have received them in humility from hands-free. " Interestingly, Menzel in his painting is not the coronation, but the oath of the new king is. Similarly, the king was represented as a statue, and on the Kaiser- Wilhelm-Platz in Königsberg. The custom-made product for the ceremony Kronkarkassen have been lost since 1945.
The Castle Church was destroyed with the castle in World War II by the air raids on Königsberg and the Battle of Königsberg. The still -standing wall ruins were blown up under Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev in 1968.