Saint Michael‘s Church in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; Credit – Wikipedia

History

Originally a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, and then a Lutheran church after the Protestant Reformation, Saint Michael‘s Church, located in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is currently a member of the Evangelical Church in Germany, a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed, and United Protestant regional Churches in Germany. Saint Michael’s Church is owned by the state of Baden-Württemberg, and is rented to the Evangelical Church in Pforzheim.

From 1538, Saint Michael’s Church was designated as the burial place of the Ernestine line of the House of Baden. Until 1860, almost all members of that branch of the House of Baden were buried at St. Michael’s Church. In 1556, Karl II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach introduced the Protestant Reformation in the Margraviate of Baden, and Saint Michael’s Church became a Lutheran church.

In 1220, Herman V, Margrave of Baden chose Pforzheim as his residence. Five years later, a castle was built that became the residence of the Margraves of Baden and their descendants. Because Saint Michael’s Church was so close to the castle, it was often called Schlosskirche (Castle Church).

Saint Michael’s Church and the archive tower of the castle built by Herman V, Margrave of Baden are the last surviving medieval structures in Pforzheim. Pforzheim’s other medieval structures were destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War (1618 – 1648), the Nine Years’ War (1688 – 1697), and most recently in World War II (1939 – 1945).

In 1535, the Margraviate of Baden was split into the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach and the Margraviate of Baden-Baden. In 1565, Karl II, Margrave of Baden-Durlach chose Durlach as his new residential town. However, Pforzheim remained one of the administrative centers. In 1738, ten-year-old Karl Friedrich succeeded as Margrave of Baden-Durlach upon his grandfather’s death. Baden-Durlach was one of the branches of the Margraviate of Baden, which had been divided several times over the previous 500 years. When August Georg, Margrave of Baden-Baden, died in 1771 without heirs, his territory was inherited by Karl Friedrich. This brought all of the Baden territories together once again, and Karl Friedrich became Margrave of Baden. Upon the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Karl Friedrich declared himself sovereign, as Grand Duke, of the newly created Grand Duchy of Baden. In 1918, after Germany’s defeat in World War I, all the constituent monarchies in the German Empire, including the Grand Duchy of Baden, were abolished. The land encompassing the Grand Duchy of Baden is now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

Interior of St. Michael’s Church; Credit – Von SchiDD – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42939836

Saint Michael’s Church was built on the site of a Romanesque church between 1225 and 1475 in the Romanesque and late Gothic style. The first nave was completed around 1270. The choir and Saint Margaret’s Chapel were built between 1290 and 1310. Around 1470, Pforzheim stonemason Hans Spryss von Zaberfeld built a late Gothic choir at the eastern end and a rood screen between the choir and the nave. The church was damaged during the Nine Years’ War (1688 – 1697), but extensive restoration work was not carried out until the 19th century.

Hans Spryss von Zaberfeld’s rood screen; Credit – Von Moleskine – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76589652

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World War II Destruction

The Pforzheim in 1946; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 23, 1945, Pforzheim was nearly totally destroyed in an air raid by 379 British bombers within 22 minutes.  At least 17,600 people, a third of the population, were killed. St. Michael’s Church avoided destruction, but the bombing caused severe damage.

Pforzheim before the bombing. St. Michael’s Church can be seen in the upper right. Credit – https://www.foerderverein-schlosskirche.de/schlosskirche

The damage to St. Michael’s Church from World War II bombing; Credit – https://www.foerderverein-schlosskirche.de/schlosskirche

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Restoration

The State Building Authority supervised the restoration of Saint Michael’s Church after World War II with the support of the Friends of the Castle Church Foundation. German sculptor Oskar Loos (1903 – 1990) recreated the sculptures. The stained-glass windows in the choir were created by German painter and stained glass artist Charles Crodel, in collaboration with German architect Hermann Hampe (link in German).

The church’s portal, covered with bronze plates, was created in 1959 by German sculptor Jürgen Weber (link in German). Six biblical scenes appear in the work. The pulpit was designed by German painter, restorer, and glass painter Valentin Peter Feuerstein. (link in German).

Stained glass windows by Klaus Arnold; Credit – Von Moleskine – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75940522

In 1966, Klaus Arnold (1928 – 2009), German sculptor, painter, and professor at Karlsruhe Art Academy, was commissioned to design the windows of the nave of Saint Michael’s Church. His colored stained glass windows are spectacular works of post-war modern art. Arnold complemented the early Gothic architecture with its heavy pillars and cave-like side aisles with a dark, glowing color palette of blue, red, and orange tones in the abstract stained glass windows.

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Burial Site

From 1538, Saint Michael’s Church was designated as the burial place of the Ernestine line of the House of Baden. Until 1860, almost all members of that branch of the House of Baden, which had become Protestant, were buried at St. Michael’s Church. The chancel contains grave markers of family members, and a two-chamber crypt is located under the floor.

1840 steel engraving by Louis Friedrich Hoffmeister – The Princely Crypt of the House of Baden in the St. Michael’s Church. In the center, brightly lit is August Moosbrugger’s 1833 monument to Karl Friedrich, first Grand Duke of Baden, which was destroyed in the World War II bombing. r; Credit – Wikipedia

Burials at Saint Michael’s Church

Note: This does not purport to be a complete list.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2009). Deutscher Künstler. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Arnold_(Maler)
  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2002). Großstadt in Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pforzheim
  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2004). Kirchengebäude in Pforzheim. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_(Pforzheim)
  • Black Forest Highlights. (2025). Blackforest-Highlights.com. https://www.blackforest-highlights.com/poi/detail/schloss-und-stiftskirche-st.-michael-9a0fa678e8
  • Mehl, Scott. Baden Royal Burial Sites. (2017). Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/former-monarchies/german-royals/grand-duchy-of-baden/baden-royal-burial-sites/
  • Die Schlosskirche St. Michael in Pforzheim. (2025). EKIBA. https://www.ekiba.de/detail/nachricht-seite/id/7224-/?cataktuell=407
  • Schloßkirche — Förderverein Schloßkirche Pforzheim. (2022). Förderverein Schloßkirche Pforzheim. Förderverein Schloßkirche Pforzheim. https://www.foerderverein-schlosskirche.de/schlosskirche
  • Schlosskirche Pforzheim. (2020). Schlosskirche-Pforzheim.guide. https://schlosskirche-pforzheim.guide/
  • Schlosskirche St. Michael Pforzheim in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg – Find a Grave Cemetery. (2025). Findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2190881/schlosskirche-st.-michael-pforzheim
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Margraviate of Baden. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Pforzheim. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Współtwórcy projektów Fundacji Wikimedia. (2024, July 25). Kolegiata zamkowa św. Michała w Pforzheimie. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolegiata_zamkowa_%C5%9Bw._Micha%C5%82a_w_Pforzheimie

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