Winterthur

Kirche Rosenberg

Building data

Reuse

Year of reuse | 2015/2020/2021/2024
Ownership | Unchanged
Building interventions | Unchanged
Form of use | Third-party use
Type of use | Miscellaneous
Brief information | From 2015 to 2017, it served as a temporary accommodation centre for asylum seekers; in 2020, as a rehearsal room for orchestras and choirs; from January 2021 to the end of March 2022, as a Covid-19 testing centre; and, probably from 2024, a nursery.
Further information | see below

Status of information

Entry created | 2015/08
Entry last updated | 2024/02

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Further information

The urgent renovation work on the Rosenberg Church in Winterthur has prompted the Reformed parish of Veltheim to consider repurposing the premises. Between 2015 and 2017, the “Kulturkirche” project is now set to be trialled in real-world conditions. The vote on the funding for the trial phase will take place in October 2015.

Location

The Rosenberg Church in Winterthur is situated on the corner of Bettenstrasse and Schaffhauserstrasse, in the Veltheim district. The main entrance faces onto Bettenstrasse. The slender bell tower overlooking the entrance faces the Bettenstrasse/Schaffhauserstrasse junction.

Church

The Reformed Church of Rosenberg was built in 1965 to a design by the architect Heinrich Affeltranger. Its floor plan resembles a truncated quarter-circle, comprising a triangle and a slightly angled rectangle. The stained-glass windows were designed by Hans Affeltranger, the architect’s brother. On the choir wall, one can see the relief ‘The Tree of Life’. In front of the entrance stands a large steel arch by Susanne Schoch (1991), which refers to the holy covenant with God (Genesis 9:12–13).

Repurposing project

The church was intended, as a new build, to complement the village church within a rapidly growing parish. Today, it often stands empty. The renovation of the building, which was necessary after 50 years, is very costly. After thoroughly examining various options, the parish decided that the church in Rosenberg would become a ‘cultural church’. The ‘Kulturkirche Rosenberg’ will host religious services as well as cultural events and conferences. The aim is to create a space where current issues are highlighted through cultural expression and interpreted with the tools of theology. This venue is aimed primarily at an urban, cosmopolitan and curious audience who do not seek spirituality solely within the strict framework of Sunday worship, who are open to new forms of expression, and who are moved by the language of culture. Before a definitive reorientation of the building’s use and the resulting architectural measures and financial investments, the concept must be tested as part of a pilot phase, considering the specific characteristics of Winterthur and its region, and then, if appropriate, refined. The Rosenberg church will be leased for two years by the parish of Veltheim to a managing association, accompanied by a service agreement for the implementation of this pilot phase. For this agreement, the following tasks and objectives have been defined in particular: the design and implementation of religious activities aimed at a target audience that is not particularly drawn to traditional Sunday services, but which nevertheless feels connected to the Church. The following tasks and impact objectives have been defined: the design and implementation of religious activities aimed at a target audience that is not particularly drawn to traditional Sunday services, but which nevertheless feels connected to the Church. Activities focused on the local community, particularly in the fields of music, film/video/photography and literature. Within this framework, the establishment of a new programme of socio-cultural activities with an intergenerational focus. The main architectural measure concerns the existing church pews. These may be dismantled in agreement with the historic monuments department but must be stored so that they can be reinstalled later if necessary. No other irreversible construction work will be carried out on the building. The organising association comprises the Municipal Federation, the Cantonal Reformed Church and the Reformed Church of Veltheim. The pilot phase of the project is due to begin in autumn 2015 and will run until spring 2017.

Current status

On 13 April 2015, the Central Council of Churches in Winterthur decided to support the project with a grant of 450,000 francs. A referendum was launched against this decision, meaning that Reformed voters in the city of Winterthur had to vote on the project on 18 October 2015. The association ‘Förderverein Kulturkirche Rosenberg’ had been formed to support the pilot phase. The project was rejected by the voters. Following this, the city of Winterthur expressed an interest in the church. From autumn 2015 until the end of 2017, the church served as an accommodation for asylum seekers. In accordance with the agreements reached between the parish of Veltheim, the city of Winterthur and the historic buildings conservation department, it is planned that the church will be fully restored to its original condition once the asylum seekers have left. Once this work has been completed, the parish council will, in the course of 2018, relaunch the process of considering the future use of Rosenberg Church.

In 2019, as part of a new parish project, materials from the disused temporary accommodation units at Rosenberg Church were reused to build a temporary art chapel, attached to the village church in Veltheim. This project was led by the architect and parish administrator Markus Jedele, curator Anita Bättig and carpenter Hannes Jedele. For two years, the chapel served as an ecclesiastical laboratory where art and the Church came together in an experimental way and hosted ten solo exhibitions. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the hall at Rosenberg Church was temporarily made available to choirs and orchestras from Winterthur as a rehearsal space for a period of one year. On the initiative of the Zurich Cantonal Health Department, a cantonal Covid-19 testing centre was also set up within the church grounds from January 2021 to the end of March 2022.

In 2023, the Reformed parish of Winterthur signed a declaration of intent with the City of Winterthur’s Department of Education and Sport, providing for the letting of the premises in the church basement church to the after-school care service. However, the church’s main nave would not be suitable for future use as a crèche, both in terms of natural light and from a heritage conservation perspective. To develop a solution, the parish of Veltheim, in collaboration with the local community association, has set up a strategic group tasked with considering the long-term use of the church premises. The question of whether the after-school care centre can be set up in the basement as planned from August 2024 has not yet been definitively decided.

Testimonials

“I support the idea of opening the Rosenberg Church as a cultural meeting place and to foster dialogue there between generations and between followers of different religions and cultures. We must give this bold pilot project a chance, with a view to a learning phase.” (Peter Arbenz, former city councillor)
"The Rosenberg cultural church dares to embrace the renewal that our cantonal church so urgently needs. It reaches out, in a completely new way, to people who have long since ceased to feel drawn to traditional piety. The language of culture can touch people at their very core. Cultural churches in Germany have been proving for years that, through new and experimental formats, they meet the spiritual needs of an urban population open to the world. The cultural city of Winterthur is exactly the ideal place for a Reformed cultural church – let’s dare to give it a go!” (David Hauser, Veltheim Parish Council).
“The disused Rosenberg church presents an opportunity that should be seized in an innovative way. The cultural church and its pilot project open exciting prospects for the Reformed Church to explore new interfaces between culture and the Church and to develop new ways of using old churches. The planned pilot project is essential for the sensible and sustainable development of the site.” (Markus Jedele, architect)
“I support the ‘Kulturkirche Rosenberg’ pilot project because people need to make sense of current events and developments. Artists, theologians and communication specialists will work together on this project. They will make what is happening in our time visible and tangible. This will help people develop strategies for action towards a better future. This experiment absolutely must be carried out. And the Reformed Church has great potential here that it must make better use of. The pilot project will show whether the initiative can succeed and whether Rosenberg Church is a suitable venue for this initiative.” (Arnold Steiner, minister)
“The word ‘culture’ comes from ‘cult’. It is therefore entirely positive that culture is returning [once more] to the church: free, joyful, daring and more devout than one might think.” (Ralph Kunz, Professor of Practical Theology, University of Zurich)

Swiss Religious Heritage Day