Trinity Church Wallern

Wallern an der Trattnach is located in Upper Austria and belongs to the district of Grieskirchen. The political municipality of Wallern has around 3,000 inhabitants, of which approximately 600 are Protestant. Since the time of the Reformation, there have been continuous Protestant Christians in the region. You can find the history of the Protestant parish community of Wallern here: www.evang-wallern.at.

The Protestant parish community of Wallern, with its Holy Trinity Church, is referred to as the mother community. Furthermore, in the adjacent health resort of Bad Schallerbach, Protestant Christians receive pastoral care from the local Protestant pastor at the Walter-Mayr-Haus. The mother community in Wallern counts around 1,400 members.

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Wallern with its neo-gothic building is worth a visit.

The church, built in 1851 - 1853, replaced an older, dilapidated prayer house from 1784 and is one of the earliest Protestant church buildings erected after the fall of the restrictive regulations for church construction in 1849.

Similar to the Protestant church in Wels (Upper Austria), the design of the building aimed to publicly demonstrate that it was a church, not a prayer house with a secular appearance.

A neo-Gothic structure was created, with its Protestant affiliation evident through the incorporation of beautiful and spacious galleries. The blue starry sky in the sanctuary is typical of the time and reflects the pious character of the congregation during the construction period under the guidance of Pastor Jakob Ernst Koch. The emotionally evocative space, enhanced by its color scheme, was intended to impact the religious sentiments of visitors. The neo-Gothic altar is adorned solely with a depiction of the Risen Christ. This not only expresses the concept of "Christ alone" in the Protestant faith but also aims to awaken love for the Savior within the congregation. The focal point of the room, both visually and spiritually, is the framed image of Christ placed prominently behind the altar. The inscription at the altar reads: "All and in all Christ."

The interior furnishings were gradually completed: in 1868, the baptismal font was acquired and placed in front of the altar, following the Lutheran tradition of having it face the congregation. Later, the altar railing was added. In 1873, stained glass windows depicting Luther and Melanchthon, frequently seen together in 19th-century church spaces, as well as Peter and Paul, were installed in the sanctuary. Each window is accompanied by relevant scriptural references.

The Holy Trinity Church underwent exemplary restoration work in 2004 and 2007, with careful consideration given to preserving its original appearance.

It represents a self-contained and one of the most successful Protestant church buildings of the 19th century in Austria.