The

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

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

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

; it is dedicated to

Reinold Reinold (also known as Reinhold of Koln, in German as Reinhold von Köln) was a Benedictine monk who lived in the 10th century. Supposedly a direct descendant of Charlemagne, and the fourth son mentioned in the romantic poem Duke Aymon, by Willia ...

, also known as

Renaud de Montauban Renaud de Montauban (; also spelled ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', Italian: ''Rinaldo di Montalbano'', Dutch: ''Reinout van Montalba(e)n'') was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French ''chanson de geste'' known as ''Th ...

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

Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...

era. The present building is a late Romanesque church with a late

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

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 In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders through which the Hellweg pas ...

(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 The Protestant Church of Westphalia (german: Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen, EKvW) is a United Protestant church body in North Rhine-Westphalia. The seat of the praeses (german: Präses, the head of the church) is Bielefeld. The EKvW emerged ...

, an umbrella comprising Lutheran, Reformed and

united Protestant A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

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 (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) 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 regio ...

". 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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. 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), attack ...

from various German cities who were associated with the

Die Rechte The Right – Party for Referendum, Sovereignty and Homeland Protection (german: Die Rechte – Partei für Volksabstimmung, Souveränität und Heimatschutz) is a far-right political party in Germany. History The party was founded in 2012 by th ...

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 Churches completed in 1270 13th-century churches in Germany Churches completed in 1454 Towers completed in the 15th century Romanesque architecture in Germany Protestant churches in Dortmund Lutheran churches in Germany