Bugenhagenkirche

Bugenhagenkirche stands in Hamburg’s Barmbek-Süd district as a former Evangelical Lutheran church with a distinctive cubic form. Emil Heynen designed it between 1927 and 1929. Its dark red-violet brick façade follows New Objectivity, a movement prominent in early twentieth-century Hamburg architecture. Sculptures by Richard Kuöhl, Alphons Ely, and Friedrich Wield depict Protestant preachers and figures linked to Hamburg’s Reformation.

The church takes its name from reformer Johannes Bugenhagen and commemorates Hamburg’s four-hundredth Reformation anniversary. The Second World War caused only minor damage to the building. Bernhard Hirche led restoration and remodelling from 1996 to 1998, preserving the original architecture while adding a theatre hall and public café. It entered Hamburg’s monument list in 1992.

Closure in 2004 and deconsecration in 2019 preceded its transformation into Afrotopia, a cultural and competence centre for the Afro-community and local neighbourhood. The restored interior returns to Hinrich Groth’s blue-and-white design. The former church hall, called Lome Blue Hall, hosts concerts and conferences while retaining heritage status.