Hallstatt Evangelical Parish Church

The Hallstatt Evangelical Parish Church is located in the Gmunden area, under the administration of the municipality of Hallstatt.The current religious edifice was built between 1859 and 1863 to replace the old prayer house, which was built in 1785. The aforementioned church is a parish church associated with Austria’s Evangelical Church AB and is overseen by the Evangelical Superintendency of Upper Austria.Christ Church is another name for the religious organization.

On October 30, 1785, a house of worship was officially inaugurated in Hallstatt. The building is located at the current mouth of the Mühlbach and is designed with rectangular windows but no bell tower. The area could accommodate 355 people. Two outdated salt-making houses were purchased and demolished in 1859 to make space for the construction of a new evangelical church on the property. The church’s construction was finished in 1863.

Ludwig Lange, a Munich-based architect, devised the church’s architectural plan.According to the foundation document dated October 15, 1863, the building expenditures were 37,000 guilders.The Gustav Adolf Association and several philanthropists contributed to the finance.Christ Church in Hallstatt has a seating capacity of 550 people.The altar is made out of oak wood.A painter with formal education and training in the arts made the altarpiece with a range of hues.The sliding chest organ, which was originally used in the prayer house and purchased by the Catholic Church in Ebensee in 1810, has been restored to the church.The four bells were delayed for a year, and they were finally delivered in 1864.The previous Tolerance Prayer House was demolished in 1864 to make room for a new shipping dock on Lake Hallstatt. Shipping activities were shifted as a result.

During World War I, Christ Church was forced to give up all four bells and 35 organ pipes, which were later replaced with zinc pipes.The bells purchased in 1934 were re-melted in 1943.As documented, the church’s roof was replaced between 1957 and 1961, followed by an interior refurbishment in 1962.Three new bells, called Faith, Hope, and Love, were installed and rung in 1977.Following a mudslide in 2013, repair works were required to manage the following water damage.