Soon after the outbreak of World War I, there was a need to house a large number of prisoners of war in the German Reich. In Frankfurt (Oder), a barracks camp was built on the site of the disused "Vaterland" mine in the north of the city. At one point, over 1 prisoners of war were interned in this camp. In accordance with the Hague Conventions on Land Warfare of 23.000 and with the support of the International Red Cross, a multi-purpose building made of wood was built in 1907/1915. The camp administration entrusted the prisoners themselves with important parts of the construction and furnishing work, resulting in an extremely unique architectural monument that is unparalleled on German soil.
The extensive carvings by Russian prisoners of war deserve special attention, for example on the large carved chandelier with its dragon heads, the carved altar and the reliefs on the pulpit and on the walls of the chancel. The wooden relief figures represent the 12 apostles. Dragon heads are often noticeable both inside and outside the church.
The ceremonial inauguration took place on February 16, 1916. After the dissolution of the prisoner of war camp in 1919, the building was left to decay. It regained importance when, from 1921, the barracks complex became a reception center for "returnees". These "returnees" were optants from the areas of Posen, West Prussia and Upper Silesia, which were ceded under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, who did not want to accept Polish citizenship and therefore had to resettle in the German Reich.
With its history and construction, the Chapel of the Redeemer has great supra-regional significance as a place of remembrance for the situation of prisoners of war in World War I. There is an exhibition on the history of the Chapel of the Redeemer in the tower room.
Visits and guided tours must be booked in advance
Heilandskapelle Frankfurt (Oder)
