Culture of Mannheim. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Location on the map:   Facts: » In the era of industrialization, the city became one of the country’s industrial centers which increased the population significantly. Thus, there arose a need to erect a new Protestant church. The monastery was constructed and consecrated in 1911. It took 4 years and 1.6 million marks to build it.
»  The pediment of the building is crowned with a sculpture of Jesus. The scene depicts Christ healing the sick. The words from the Gospel addressed to the afflicted are also engraved here.
»  The building has the main dome and four smaller copper ones. One bronze signal instrument weighs 5,820 kg. The current bells were cast in 1956. The old ones were melted during the Second World War to make arms.
»  Two-meter sculptures of the 12 disciples of the Son of God are installed on the tower.
»  Inside, there’s a 1.2-ton chandelier consisting of 60 bright objects. It is almost 9 meters in circumference.
»  The interior decoration of the church is entirely dedicated to the biography of the Anointed: relief images of Him next to the children, stained glass, drawings picturing the Resurrection of the Messiah, bas-reliefs with Christian preachers.
»  The inside part of the dome is decorated with patterned frescoes.

» The Catholic church is neo-Gothic in style. The construction lasted from 1898 to 1903.
»  The need for the church arose due to a sharp increase in population. By 1900, there were about 8,000 Catholics in the city.
»  The first service was held in an unfinished building.
»  During World War II, the church was severely damaged: the peak of the bell tower was destroyed and the windows were broken.
»  In 1953, the building was restored. However, during the renovation, decorative frescoes were removed. They were considered ugly and supposedly spoiled the appearance.
»  Soon, a parish hall was created in the church.
»  Later a defect was found in the upper part of the church made of stone. The stones were replaced with concrete molds protected by light-red plastic. The new structure didn’t last long. 171 fragments had to be removed from stucco molding, which accounted for 80% of the outside decorations.
»  The exterior walls are faced with yellowish brick slabs which highlight the architectural details of red sandstone.
»  A 68-meter belfry is built on one of the sides of the church. There are six full-toned bells of a different register on it.

» The castle was built for state officials in the 18th century (1720-1760). The ruling princes liked staying in the winter residence. In summer, the prince-electors preferred to spend leisure time in another place.
»  The area of ​​the palace is really huge: it takes up 6 hectares of land. The building is 450 meters long. It has 500 ceremonial halls. All of them are filled with paintings, sculptures, and woven carpets.
»  Several eminent architects worked on the design of the construction.
»  To offset the financial costs, the authorities introduced a new tax.
»  The mansion belongs to the University of Mannheim and is part of it. The palace has a library room, its own museum, lecture rooms, and offices. There are a church and a court in one of the outbuildings.
»  The Mannheim Palace is built in a Baroque style. It is located by the river. The construction is considered to have been the largest palace of this type in 18th-century Europe.
»  During the Second World War bombing, the castle was almost completely destroyed.
»  It took five years to restore the building and recreate its original look.

» The Kunsthalle Mannheim is a museum of contemporary art located in Mannheim. It was founded in 1909.
»  The museum was built to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the municipality and kept for future creative exhibitions.
»  The art gallery contains paintings, pieces of graphic art, sculptures, and items of design handiwork. There’s a separate area with three-dimensional figures created by local craftsmen and architects.
»  All works are considered modern and date from the 19th-21st centuries.
»  About 1,000 statues and installations are on display in the exhibition hall. The graphics collection consists of 10,000 drawings, including watercolor sketches and metal prints.
»  The Kunsthalle Mannheim promotes various directions and schools, including the Impressionists.
»  There are works showing how global political and economic cataclysms influence the process of art creation.
»  Photo exhibitions are also popular among visitors.

» The museum is dedicated to archaeological features, cultural identity, theater, music, and fine-art photography of different countries.
»  The area of the exhibition complex is 11,300 square meters.
»  The collection includes over 1.2 million objects.
»  The gallery hosts both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
»  It is one of the largest museum complexes in Mannheim. The architectural ensemble consists of four houses intended for exhibits.
»  A photo exhibition is located on the fourth level of the building. The photo illustrations present here date from the 19th century to the present.
»  Historical finds dating back to the Roman Empire and medieval Germany and the art of Ancient Egypt will give you an idea of how people of a bygone era used to live.
»  A separate area is dedicated to the history of music and creation of string instruments.
»  The industrialist Carl Reiss bequeathed his fortune so that after his death the local municipality would use it to create the museum. The museum was named after him. The Reiss Fund sponsors the development of the Reiss Engelhorn Museum.