Discussions about design, readings, theater or dance, exhibitions and performances – all of this finds its place in the Sankt-Gertrud Church in Cologne. Every year, the festival "tanz.tausch" takes center stage here. The Cologne Overtones Choir regularly comes for its rehearsals. "sankt.gertrud: kirche+kultur" is the extensive cultural program that primarily focuses on her: the church itself. Anyone wanting to perform, exhibit, or present here must reference Gottfried Böhm's unusual construction from 1967.
In a narrow street dominated by simple residential buildings, the brutalist structure with its three apses slightly pushes out from the block edge development. Notably, St. Gertrude's slender bell tower stands at a small forecourt. Upon entering the exposed concrete church, one initially feels as if in a cave: this is ensured by the irregularly folded ceiling and the few windows that mostly allow only indirect light into the interior. From the ground-level entrance, there are a few steps down to the actual parish room. One does not feel unwelcome here – on the contrary: the architecture seems to pleasantly shield people inside from urban life.
Böhm's church is a place for contemplation and concentration – this also recalls his most famous sacred building: Not only externally does St. Gertrude resemble the pilgrimage church "Maria, Queen of Peace" in Neviges, which Gottfried Böhm completed a year later, in 1968. Not least for this reason, the Cologne sister is also referred to as the "little rock dome".
