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Future of St. Thomas Church in Danger – Dispute over demolition and cultural projects!
Mannheim: The Thomaskirche in Neuostheim is about to be demolished. Look for solutions and future uses.
Future of St. Thomas Church in Danger – Dispute over demolition and cultural projects!
On November 1, 2025, the Thomaskirche in Mannheim's Neuostheim district faces an uncertain future. The impressive church building, which has been vacant since 2009, could soon be demolished unless an investor is found by spring 2025. The reasons for this drastic possibility are obvious: too few believers and high operating costs are making the church difficult. The church belongs to the so-called “Category C”, which means that it no longer receives financial resources from the church budget and is therefore dependent on alternative sources of financing. According to SWR the possibility of a sale or conversion remains, but so far without success.
The difficult situation of St. Thomas Church becomes apparent in detail. Severe water damage caused by two burst pipes in December 2009 led to the church being closed and a suitable buyer has not been found since. Already in 2020, a potential investor who originally planned to convert the church into an event venue withdrew. With renovation costs estimated at 1.5 million euros, the search for new investors is a race against time. This is also reported by Mannheim24.
The challenges of the Protestant Church
As Dean Ralph Hartmann emphasizes, there is an urgent need for action. A possible donation of the Thomaskirche is possible if no creative solution is found within the given period. The Thomaskirche is not just a building, but an important cultural anchor and point of identification for the community. Various ideas for future use are being discussed in exchange with the city of Mannheim. A conversion into living space was not considered economically feasible because the rental prices of 32 euros per square meter did not make for a profitable solution.
In order to bring more people to church, the Protestant church is planning events such as concerts, performances and exhibitions. A promising example of this is the “Days of Light” in Christ Church, which attracted numerous visitors. On November 2, 2025, an event will also take place in the Pfingstbergkirche that will include jazz sounds and impressive light installations to draw attention to the cultural opportunities of the churches. According to a report by the German Economic Institute, church tax revenue is increasingly falling due to people leaving the church and demographic change, which is putting the churches under great pressure and showing that it is not easy to do good business these days.
The location of St. Thomas Church is symptomatic of a larger trend: more and more churches are faced with the challenge of maintaining their relevance in a changing society. The search for new uses and creative solutions is therefore important not only for the Thomaskirche, but also for many other places of worship in Mannheim. It remains to be seen whether the community will find a way to save this historic building or whether it will soon fall victim to the wrecking ball, as Mannheim24 reports.