Churches and synagogues
Churches are an essential part of urban life. They have proven themselves over many decades as the center of cultural, social and political life. Wiesbaden's sacred buildings shape the image of the Hessian state capital and give it its unmistakable character.
Market church
It towers majestically right on the market square. Five towers, bright red brick, a building worthy of a cathedral - and officially called Nassau Cathedral. However, it is a Protestant church and the path to this building was not an easy one. Architect Carl Boos had a mind of his own, and the building site in the heart of the city was not the one he wanted. He would have preferred to build his church in the vineyards high above the city.
Boos eventually had to give in, but then pushed through his design all the more vehemently, despite significant criticism: he planned five towers, the tallest an incredible 98 meters high. At the beginning of the 1850s, this seemed oversized to many city leaders, even for an up-and-coming spa town.
Learn more
Russian Orthodox Church on the Neroberg
It is one of the most beautiful moments on the Neroberg: the moment when you see the gilded domes of the onion domes light up against the greenery. As beautiful and magnificent as the Russian Orthodox Church stands on the edge of the forest, the reason for its construction is sad: it was built as a burial church for the young Russian princess Elisabeth Mikhailovna, a niece of the Russian tsar.
She married Duke Adolf von Nassau in 1844 and died just one year later during the birth of her first child. The death of his wife of just 18 years affected the young duke deeply. He wanted to be close to her even in death and commissioned the architect Philipp Hoffmann to build a burial church that would be so stately and grand that Adolf could see it from his Biebrich Palace.
Learn more
Podcast Russian Orthodox Church
St. Boniface Church
St. Boniface's Church is the oldest church in Wiesbaden's city center. Philipp Hoffmann, who later also built the Greek chapel on the Neroberg and the synagogue on the Michelsberg, was the important master builder.
St. Boniface's Church is the parish church for the parish of St. Boniface and also the city church for Wiesbaden's Catholics. The first impression is of a mystagogic chiaroscuro inside the large hall church. Above, the daylight is refracted in the large stained glass windows. Below, islands of light with countless devotional candles invite you to linger in devotion.
Learn more
Mountain church
The Protestant Bergkirche was built between 1876 and 1879 as the second Protestant church after the Marktkirche. It is the focal point and landmark of the Bergkirche district named after it, which at the time was the quarter of the servants of the spa business.
Plans for a second Protestant church in Wiesbaden on the hill above the Kochbrunnen date back to 1837, but it was not built until after the Prussian Wars (1866 to 1871) and was consecrated in 1897. Johannes Otzen's design is based on the appearance of 13th century parish churches on the outside. Inside, Otzen made his first attempt to create a "preaching church" with a central assembly room, using Gothic style elements, but in a modification of the Gothic building regulations, in which the separation between the congregation, altar and pulpit is eliminated.
Learn more
Ring church
The Ringkirche, largely preserved in its original condition both inside and out, was built between 1892 and 1894 as the third Protestant church after the Marktkirche and the Bergkirche.
The Ringkirche was built when Wiesbaden gained in importance as a result of the Prussian occupation in 1866 and its population grew. The third Protestant church was intended to offer as many worshippers as possible a place of worship on Sundays. Around 1,300 people were therefore seated there.
Today, the Ringkirche has a somewhat smaller capacity, but is still the place of worship for the largest Protestant parish in the state capital. The mountain church pastor Emil Veesenmeyer developed the "Wiesbaden Program" for its construction.
Learn more
Anglican Church - St. Augustine's of Canterbury
St. Augustine of Canterbury
The church was built in 1863/1864 according to plans by the senior architect Götz and named after St. Augustine, who was sent from Rome to England by Pope Gregory the Great in 597 to convert the English.