Altkatholische Friedenskirche

The beautiful brick building with an octagonal steeple was once considered to be the most important Jugendstil church in Germany. Since 1874 there has been an Old Catholic parish in Essen whose members do not believe in the Pope’s infallibility and have therefore been excluded from the official Catholic Church. Although the Old Catholics were allowed to attend Johanneskirche (St. John’s church), tension developed among the parishioners. Therefore, a new Old Catholic church was built in 1914. Designed by Albert Erbe, it is a two-storey building with a church hall underneath the nave. The colourful interior design by Jan Thorn Prikker, the famous Jugendstil artist, is well worth seeing. In front of the church, you can see the Jahrhundertbrunnen (Century Fountain) by sculptor Ulfert Janssen, built in 1907 in the style of A. v. Hildebrands.