History. Gothic - in Tashkent?

In one's time, - the bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran church of Uzbekistan Cornelius Vibe says, - it was intended to erect the kirha from adobe bricks. It is difficult to say whether if would have lasted up to our days, and I can confidently assure that it would look different. But there was an engineer Heinzelman living in Tashkent, and wuite much in the city depended on his decisions. Heinzelman put forth the question of constructing the building from burnt bricks, bringing among other considerations, arguments in favor of seismic resistance. The question was decided, but it demanded at once larger resources than was intended at the beginning of construction. Works even had to be stopped for a while and during this time donations were gathered. Collection continued till August 1896. The main part of donations was given by the " Central pay desk of compassionate benefit to Lutheran parishes of the Russian Empire". In December of 1896 the building of kirha was already almost ready, and first services took place it. Services take place - the temple lives, so the reference point of the history of kirha can be taken as December 1896. From the very beginning kirha was an architectural decoration of the city, that being said, its inner attire was not less remarkable then the outward appearance. An artist, Sally fon Kugelgen, who lived in Rome, donated to the Tashkent kirha an icon of Christ made by her.

Today, when the kirha returned its former appearance, it is hard to believe that its history had vicissitudes. During the times of struggle of the Soviet power against religion the Lutheran community ceased to exist, its last pastor - Henry Berendts - was subjected to repression and the kirha itself was closed. Nevertheless the kirha was lucky, - it was not destroyed, like many other temples, was not turned into a storehouse, and although it was used for other aims, but these aims had a direct relation to culture - for example, there was a concert hall, - and maybe this saved the building from irreparable damage. In the independent Uzbekistan kirha was returned to the Evangelical-Lutheran community. Now, there are no empty places here on Sundays. The majority of parishioners are ethnic Germans, and in the community they communicate not only faith but also language and customs of their ancestors. Some of them are the children and grand children of those who were christened and confirmed in the kirha in the first years of its history.

In 1996 kirha celebrated its 100-year anniversary. Then, the bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran church of Uzbekistan Cornelius Vibe devoted a run on the "Damas" car from Tashkent to Salzburg to this event. Along the whole length of this impressive route, he visited Lutheran communities and acquainted them with the history and present life of the Tashkent kirha, which will turn 110 years old exactly in a year.