St. Reinold Düsseldorf by Josef Lehmbrock
Josef Lehmbrock's St. Reinold replaced a makeshift church in the 1950s, which was intended to provide at least a "makeshift" answer to the religious needs of the population in the immediate post-war years. Josef Lehmbrock - in the shadow of the more famous Gottfried Böhm - was one of the most eager church builders of his time. In Düsseldorf alone he built three churches, significantly in the outlying areas of Unterrath, Unterbach and Vennhausen.
Lehmbrock built St. Reinold in an urban area that is still characterised by suburban residential areas today. On the west facade broken glass fields were inserted into the raw concrete and form a window rose in the style of gothic rosettes.
The church, built directly on a busy road, has a single-nave, high room that narrows towards the altar. In keeping with the modern construction techniques that prevailed in the post-war years, the interior and exterior are organised by a reinforced concrete framework whose clearly visible trusses are divided into seven bays. The trusses intersect under the church roof and form a modern concrete cross-ribbed vault. St Reinold's was to be clearly recognisable as a modern church using contemporary manufacturing techniques. This also meant that the window areas extending between the bays were initially structured by concrete louvres. In the 1970s, however, when concrete functionalism became widespread, they were replaced by aluminium louvres.
The cross-ribbed vault is reminiscent of the great Gothic models. The mighty rose on the west façade is more recognisable in this tradition. Unlike in the Gothic cathedrals, however, the glass panels are broken into the wall, forming the motif of the rose over a large area.