360 :: a spherical panoramic journey in 2668 pieces

Milan Rastislav Štefánik (1880-1919) was a general of the French Army, Slovak politician, diplomat and astronomer, one of creators of independent Czechoslovakia. He died in a mysterious plane crash in May 1919 when returning from Italy to his homeland. He was buried together with his Italian crew on the Bradlo hill right above his birthplace, Košariska. A few years later a monumental travertine memorial by Dušan Jurkovič was erected.

The location of the church was decided by Kaiser William II and its title was given in honour of his grandfather Kaiser William I. The large neo-Romanesque church was consecrated in 1895. In the World War II, on the night of 23 November 1943, the church was badly damaged in an air raid. The church was largely destroyed but part of the spire and much of the entrance hall survived.

The new church, built in 1957-1961, was designed by Egon Eiermann and consists of four buildings grouped around the remaining ruins of the old church. The initial design included the demolition of the old spire but following pressure from the public, it was decided to incorporate it into the new design. The four buildings comprise, on the west of the ruins, the new church with a foyer to its west, and to the east of the ruins, a tower with a chapel to its northeast. The plan of the church is octagonal while the plan of the tower is hexagonal. These components are sited on a plateau measuring 100 metres long and 40 metres wide. The new buildings are constructed of concrete, steel and glass. The double walls of the church are made of a concrete honeycomb containing 21,292 stained glass inlays. The glass, designed by Gabriel Loire, was inspired by the colours of the glass in Chartres Cathedral. The predominant colour is blue, with small areas of ruby red, emerald green and yellow. The church is 35 metres in diameter and 20.5 metres high with a capacity of over 1,000.

Inside the church, opposite the entrance, is a 15-foot high figure of Christ which is suspended above the altar. This is made from tombak and was designed by Karl Hemmeter. The cross on the altar, by Peter Tauchnitz, is of gilt silver with 37 rock crystals. To the left of the altar is the baptismal font on a stand filled with Carrara marble which contains a majolica bowl for the holy water. To the right of the altar is an octagonal pulpit. Opposite the altar on a gallery is an organ containing about 5,000 pipes, which was built by Schuke. Plexiglas panels have been installed over the organ gallery to improve the acoustics. By the northeast wall of the church are three works of art. The first is a bronze plaque commemorating the Protestant martyrs who died during the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945. It incorporates a Spanish wooden crucifix dating from the 13th century. The plaque was placed in the church on 20 July 1964, the 20th anniversary of an attempt to assassinate Hitler. Next to this is the Stalingrad Madonna, a symbol of hope and reconciliation. This is a charcoal drawing made by Kurt Reuber during the time he was trapped outside Stalingrad at Christmas 1942. Copies of this drawing have been sent to Coventry Cathedral and the Russian Orthodox Church in Stalingrad (now Volgograd). The third item of art is an icon of the Virgin Mary from Volgograd. (Description based on a Wikipedia text).