Revival of the Helle village church: 4,700 euros for renovation!

Revival of the Helle village church: 4,700 euros for renovation!

A special event will be celebrated in Helle on August 16, 2025: the village church will receive a new bronze plaque that honors the commitment of private sponsors. The chairman of the trust foundation, Hans Lange, will ceremonially hand over the plaque to Pastor Johanna Köster. This plaque bears the inscription “Supported by the trustee foundation for the preservation of the churches in Prignitz” and is intended not only to appreciate what has already been achieved, but also to encourage others to support it. The German Foundation for Monument Protection (DSD) provided a total of 4,732.74 euros for the repair of the barrel vault in the Helle village church, which underlines the important work of the organization, which has been the largest private initiative for monument preservation in Germany since 1985. As denkmalschutz.de reports, the DSD is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

The village church in Helle, an eye-catching building, was built in 1913 and replaces an older half-timbered church from 1685. It impresses with a volute gable, an apse, a southern porch and a side bell tower. The interior impresses with a coffered, painted wooden barrel ceiling and a west gallery. An organ that was installed between 1913 and 1914 completes the magnificent picture with its painted case.

Renovation measures and historical significance

In September 2024, the renovation of the wooden structure of the barrel vault was completed after a collapse occurred. In recent years, the DSD has supported over 750 objects in Brandenburg, including the village church in Helle. This support is part of a larger commitment to the preservation of historical buildings, as gutshaeuser.de highlights. Every year, the DSD supports around 400 projects and is actively committed to protecting cultural identity.

What is particularly noteworthy is that the church has a late Gothic carved altar from around 1470. This altar, placed on the north wall of the church, shows the coronation of the Virgin Mary in its central shrine, flanked by Saints George and Michael. The wings of the altar support the impressive overall picture with the saints Peter, Paul, James the Elder and John the Evangelist.

Commitment of the foundations

The commitment of foundations such as the German Foundation for Monument Protection and the Heinz and Renate Wiedemann Foundation has made a decisive contribution to the preservation of this unique cultural asset. These foundations not only take care of financing the restorations, but also promote awareness of historical monuments. As monumente-online.de mentioned, foundations like those run by Renate and Heinz Wiedemann have the valuable task of preserving monuments through financial support and public relations work.

Overall, the upcoming handover of the bronze plaque in Helle shows how important it is to promote civic engagement in monument protection and to continue to fight for the preservation of our history and cultural identity. Without such initiatives, our cultural heritage would be at risk. A good knack for monument protection is needed here more than ever!