Abandoned and Re-Used Churches in Germany

Abandoned and reused churches are a current societal issue that has achieved considerable public attention in Germany. A growing number of churches, other buildings in the parishes or land owned by the church have been on offer for sale more frequently in the past years. Caused by a decline of church members in the last decades the result is a continuous shortage in the available budgets, which are necessary to maintain the property. The general treatment of abandoned churches is discussed among professionals in a broad way with different perspectives. One of the main problems is to find appropriate solutions which suit the different
participants who are involved in the process of reuse. To keep the church building maintained a form of mixed use is a necessary solution. Within this process new forms of cooperation between the different participants are developed to create a mix of different usages.