The

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

Protestant Church of St. Reinold () is, according to its foundation date, the oldest extant church in

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

; it is dedicated to Reinold, also known as

Renaud de Montauban Renaud (or Renaut or Renault) de Montauban (Modern ; ; ; or ) was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French known as ''The Four Sons of Aymon''. The four sons of Duke Aymon are Renaud, Richard, Alard and Guiscard, ...

, the patron of the city. The church was built as a palatine church in the

Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty () was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman emperors, especially Otto the Great. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin in the German stem du ...

era. The present building is a late Romanesque church with a late gothic quire. St. Reinold's was built from 1250 to 1270, and is located in the centre of the city, directly at the crossing of the Hellweg (a historic trade route) and the historic road from Cologne to Bremen. St. Reinoldi's congregation is a member of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia, an umbrella comprising Lutheran,

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

and

united Protestant A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinct denomination ...

congregations. Efforts to complete the tower of St. Reinold's were renewed in 1443. After its completion in 1454, it was tall and was referred to as the "Miracle of

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

". The polygonal spire was renovated the first time in 1519. On 24 June 1520, the copper roofing was completed, and on 27 July the spire was added. The apex of the church was now about seven metres higher. In 1562 the pastors and congregations of Dortmund confirmed their adoption of Lutheranism in St. Reinold's Church. In 1661, the tower collapsed after being damaged during an earthquake. The foundation for the new tower was laid 1662, and the building was completed 1701, with a baroque ornament on the top. The church was heavily damaged in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Since the reconstruction the tower now bears a hood with baroque features similar to the original one, but increased in height (together with the tower as a whole) to correspond with the increased height of the surrounding modern buildings in the city centre. These features supply a visual and harmonious connection between the original style of the church and its appearance after reconstruction. The tower of St. Reinold's Church (today's height: ) can be visited, up to the first platform by the bell tower. On the inside there is a large set of bells, made by the "Bochumer Verein" foundry (total weight: 20 t), built in 1954 with altogether 6 steel bells. Their cost at the time of creation was DM 90,500. The heaviest bell (Pitch: f°) weighing 6.500 kg, and measuring 2.50 m in diameter, is the largest cast steel bell in Westphalia. In December 2016, nine

neo-Nazis Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), to att ...

from various German cities who were associated with the Die Rechte right wing group occupied the church steeple and appeared to set off fireworks from it. The members were subsequently taken into custody by police. Neo-Nazi slogans shouted from the steeple through a megaphone were drowned out by the church bells, ordered to be rung by the vicar of St. Reinold's."This vicar drowned out neo-Nazi slogans with bell ringing" (German)
/ref> The illegal occupation of the church's tower was met with disbelief and anger from the church's spokespersons and the vast majority of the public.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Reinolds Church, Dortmund Buildings and structures completed in 1270 Churches completed in the 1270s 13th-century churches in Germany Buildings and structures completed in 1454 Churches completed in the 1450s Towers completed in the 15th century Romanesque architecture in Germany Protestant churches in Dortmund Lutheran churches in Germany