Zionskirche

Zionskirche stands at the corner of Kornstraße and Kantstraße in Bremen’s Neustadt district. This church and community centre presents a clear modern form, with flat roofs and a prominent square bell tower. Red brick fills the tower’s exposed concrete frame. Above it, an open section carries a stylised globe and a slender cross.

The present ensemble arose between 1955 and 1957 after wartime bombing destroyed the original neo-Gothic church in 1942 and 1944. Carsten Schröck designed the replacement as one of Bremen’s first distinctly modern sacred buildings. Two L-shaped buildings contain a community hall, offices, a pastor’s room and residential spaces. A separate U-shaped youth centre completes the group beside the protected courtyard. The earlier building served as a branch of St Pauli Church from 1893 to 1894. Inside, red brick walls meet a visible concrete shell roof and an unadorned altar wall. The eastern stained-glass windows by Erhart Mitzlaff depict the entry into Jerusalem. The tower houses three bronze bells cast by the Otto foundry in 1960.

Community life shaped the site as well: Hans-Günter Sanders led the congregation from 1976 to 2009. His work included Bremen’s first church asylum and reconciliation with victims of Nazi forced labour. The Ady & the Zion Community Choir, founded in 1997, connects German and African congregations through gospel music.