1st place
colored glass window with thermal deformation
Redesign of the south window of the St. Nikolaichurch in Pritzwalk (Brandenburg/ Germany)
Non-public Single-phase Competition with Preceding Application Process
Client: church community St. Nikolai Pritzwalk
2023/ 2024
South window: 225 x 830 cm (
88,6 x 327 in)
Budget: 100 000 €
Partner: Peters Glass Studio Paderborn
In 1945, the original south window of St. Nikolai’s Church in Pritzwalk was destroyed by an explosion from an ammunition train and subsequently walled up. The redesign of the 2m x 8m window was intended to take up this theme of war wounds, but at the same time emphasize the idea of peace and hope. In her glass design, artist Dana Meyer created the motif of a growing lime tree above a broken beam in the fire. In order to emphasize the peace window’s intention, the artist added a Bible verse as the title of the new south window: (7) For a tree has hope, even if it is cut down; it can sprout again, and its shoots will not fail. (8) Though its roots grow old in the earth, though its stump die in the ground, (9) yet it greeneth again with the smell of water, and putteth forth branches as a young plant. [Job14]
From the point of view of monument preservation, the church interior was to be given back an even distribution of light without, however, creating a stylistic break with the architecture. The design and structure of the new south-facing window by Dana Meyer therefore repeatedly references the former historical window. The frame and internal structure of the new window are based on the old tracery. The red glass frame of the surrounding windows is used in places and clear rectangles refer to the original glass dimensions.
The window itself consists of two design levels or two float glass panes lying one behind the other. On the one hand, there are the outer panes, which are shaped using a lowering process. Delicate lines reveal a path into a room and thus take the visitor into the church interior. In this way, Dana Meyer succeeds in capturing the liveliness of the surrounding façade and at the same time breaks with the standardized smooth, often sterile surface of glass windows. This is contrasted by the inner design level – the color level – with the lime tree above the burning ruins of charred and smoldering beams. This depiction of destruction is deliberately only perceptible from certain perspectives – the hopeful green of the branches dominates in its entirety. The basic tones of red and green and the motif of the lime tree itself subtly refer to the colors and symbolism of the Pritzwalk coat of arms. The closer you get to the window, the more the concrete depiction of the tree and its branches dissolves into an abstract play of light. The lowering of the outer pane breaks and tears the light on the colored surfaces, bundling it elsewhere, making it flicker and dance across the surrounding space.
The new south window of St. Nikolai’s Church in Pritzwalk is not a simple colored shutter that protects against wind and weather. In the interplay of color design and exterior lowering, the artist created a dynamic interplay of light and time. The intensity of the sun, the foliage of the surrounding trees and the lights of the town give the new window an everlasting and at the same time constantly changing view. The successful design opens up the church to the outside and at the same time the abundance of light allows the sacred, historic space inside to be experienced. As a contemporary addition, the new window unites the epochs of the parish in their belief in peace and also sets a sign of warning, remembrance and hope.