Kienitz Village Church

Nice church, at least from the outside. It is currently closed (Corona). It also houses the “Heaven and Earth” café.

The church in Kienitz was mentioned for the first time in 1550. In 1707, almost the entire village burned down due to a lightning strike. The church was also destroyed as a result. It was only in the 1920s and 1930s that a single-nave brick church building was built on the foundations of the previous building. On the west gable there was an originally three-story church tower with a pointed hood. In 1894 the Kienitz church was extensively renovated. The three bronze bells were melted down in 1916 during World War I.
At the beginning of 1945, when the Red Army was on the eastern bank of the Oder and preparing to cross the river, the church and church tower, which served as strategic targets, were destroyed to the ground in the first days of February.
It was not until 1951 that reconstruction began according to the plans of the architect Gustav Gebhardt and under the direction of Pastor Wilhelm Roder. The nave was divided due to a lack of financial resources. The front part of the building was divided into two floors. The priest's apartment was built in the lower part, and the community rooms with a prayer room in the upper part. The church tower, which was also destroyed during the war, was demolished except for two floors. The eastern walls including the gable remained in ruins. The construction work continued until 1953.
After further repair and renovation work in 1981, the entire building was subjected to thorough reconstruction in 2011 and 2012. On August 4, 2012, the “Heaven and Earth” café opened in the church especially for cycle tourists. Here, among other things, bicycles can be repaired under supervision or independently.
Source: kienitz-du.de/kirche01.html