Evangelical Church (Kirche im Stadtpark)

The Evangelical Church in Villach’s municipal park marks the end of 10 October Street.The church appears to be one of Carinthia’s most significant contributions to historicist ecclesiastical architecture.The church serves as the headquarters of the Evangelical Superintendency AB Carinthia and East Tyrol.

Villach belonged to the Protestant community of St. Ruprecht in the nineteenth century.Church services have been held in the gymnasium of the grammar school since 1896.Johannes Heinzelmann arrived in Villach as a vicar in 1899.He was named first pastor in 1902 and supervisor in 1928.As a result, Villach became the seat of the Vienna Superintendency and, beginning in 1946, the Carinthian.

The church was erected as a neo-Gothic exposed brick structure from 1901 to 1903, following to plans by Ludwig Schöne, a successor to Friedrich von Schmidt.

A transept is a kind of church.The transept features apse-like ends, while the choir concludes with a flat finish and a low sacristy.A pointed helmet crowns the four-story facade tower in front.The contrast between the brick-red clinker brickwork and light-colored stone portions in the structures, embellishments, and buttresses emphasizes the building’s structure.The doubling of the buttresses aesthetically enhances the building’s edges.

The lateral bays feature eight-part hip vaults on the inside, while the chapel-like extensions have six-part hip vaults.A fan vault is located over the bridge.Cast iron columns support the timber gallery.The original stained glass windows, which were most likely created by Franz Janisch senior in 1903, were replaced in 2000 by mirrored windows created by Victor Rogy.Outside, the windows reflect the sky and park trees, and the sky and trees can be viewed from the inside as well.

The church’s interior is consistently neo-Gothic.The altarpiece represents Jesus and was most likely produced in 1903 by Aloys Poltnigg.The same artist created the pulpit on a free-standing column.