Heilandskapelle, Frankfurt (Oder)

Soon after the outbreak of World War I, the German Reich found itself in need of accommodating a large number of prisoners of war. In Frankfurt (Oder), a barracks camp was erected on the site of the decommissioned "Fatherland" mine in the north of the city. One time more than 23,000 prisoners of war were interned in this camp. In accordance with the Hague Land Warfare Regulations of 1907 and with the support of the International Red Cross, a multi-purpose wooden building was set up in 1915/16. Significant parts of the constructional and furnishing work were entrusted to the prisoners themselves by the camp administration, resulting in a highly individual architectural monument, quite unique on German soil.

Especially noteworthy are the extensive wood carvings, courtesy of the Russian prisoners of war, e.g. the large carved chandelier with its dragon heads, the carved altar and the reliefs on the pulpit and on the sanctuary walls. The wooden relief figures represent Christ's 12 disciples. Dragonheads with many designs stand out both inside and outside the church.

The Chuch's festive inauguration took place on 16 February 1916. After the dissolution of the POW camp in 1919, however, the building was abandoned. It would regain its lost significance in 1921 when the barrack complex became a place of refuge for "returnees". These were German citizens from the territories of Poznan, West Prussia and Upper Silesia, who opted to leave these lands behind, seeing that they had been ceded to the reborn Republic of Poland in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Since those people opted out of acquiring Polish citizenship, they had to resettle into the post-war German Reich.
 
With its history and construction, the Heilandskapelle has a great supra-regional significance as a place of commemoration for the plight of the prisoners of World War I. In the tower room there is an exhibition on the history of the Heilandskapelle.