Germany

TRANSARA Sacred Space in Transition

DFG German Research Foundation. Sacred Space in Transition. Function and Use of Religious Places in Germany is a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The Sacred Space Transformation research group works in seven sub-projects, each of which looks at the topic of sacred space transformation from a different perspective and is based at different universities and colleges. The two research areas of Aachen and Leipzig enable a comparison between regions with different denominational characteristics, East and West, urban and rural areas. The overall project is coordinated by the spokesperson Professor em. Albert Gerhards from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, the deputy spokesperson Apl.-Prof. Dr Stefanie Lieb from the University of Cologne and the coordinator Martina Schmitz from the University of Bonn.

SaWa - Transformations of Sacredness: Religious Architecture in Urban Space in 21st Century Germany

The project was a collaboration between CERES and the Chair for the History and Theory of Architecture at the Technical University of Dortmund. The researchers document, analyze, and interpret the transformations of architectural design and position in urban space of contemporary religious architecture in Germany since 1990. It was an interdisciplinary project, connecting the study of religions and the history and theory of architecture. Its overarching goal is to understand how, given the increase of religious and cultural diversity, Christian, Jewish, and Islamic architecture is situated in urban space, how its form conveys meaning, and how these aspects influence social interaction. Religious transformations in the wake of migration and pluralization influence the role of sacred architecture in urban space. Many churches, for instance, are in the process of re-use, closure, or even demolition. At the same time, there has been an increase of newly built mosques and a re-orientation in the architecture of synagogues in the last twenty years in Germany. Duration 09-2018 - 08-2021.