Kilianskirche Korbach

In the middle of Korbach's Altstadt, above the old market square, stands the Protestant Kilianskirche. It is a Gothic hall church with three naves, built between 1335 and 1450. The three naves have the same width, so that the nave is wider than it is long due to the slightly transverse rectangular bays. This gives the church almost the effect of a central building.

The individual forms are reminiscent of the Westphalian construction of the Wiesenkirche in Soest. An almost square tower with a baroque dome rises in the west, while the choir to the east consists of a choir bay and the choir loft with a 5/8 end. To the north-east is the chapel of St. John the Evangelist, which serves as a sacristy, and to the south-west is the Marienkapelle, which has been converted into a war memorial and was used as Korbach's "mint" until 1567. The south portal (around 1420) is richly decorated with figures.

The west tower of the church, with its original pointed dome, belonged
over 90 meters high at the time of its completion in 1392
one of the tallest church towers in the world!

Interior

The interior of the church is also unusually richly decorated for a Protestant church - a legacy from pre-Reformation times (including a Baroque winged altar and a 12-metre-high sacrament house from 1525). Because the Reformation in the Principality of Waldeck was predominantly Lutheran, the two town churches of St. Kilian (historic Altstadt) and St. Nikolai (historic Neustadt) were largely spared the iconoclasm of the Reformation, which took place in many places in neighboring Hesse.

The latest eye-catcher is the Kuhn organ from 2011, which is located on the north side.

Stamping point on the Way of St. James

St. Kilian's Church is the starting point of the pilgrimage route along the Heidenstraße - a section of the Sauerland Camino in the international network of the Way of St. James. The official stamping point for documentation in the pilgrim's passport is located in the church.

More information: korbach.de/camino