If you want to visit the new exhibition “Jecheskiel David Kirszenbaum – Caricatures of a Bauhausler on the Weimar Republic” in the Frauenkircherl in Erding, you may first ask yourself: Am I really in the right place here? Because of the renovation work, the Frauenkircherl on Schrannenplatz and the town hall on Landshuter Straße in Erding are scaffolded. Yes, you are correct, the renovations still allow access to the exhibition. The shingle roof and façade, including the depiction of the Virgin Mary, are being renewed on the Frauenkircherl. On the one hand, repair work would be carried out on the areas between the masonry and the wooden frame of the windows at the town hall, says Christian Wanninger, press spokesman for the city. On the other hand, the wooden windows will be painted and the town hall will receive a general new coat of paint on the facade.
Showroom since 1986
The Frauenkircherl has been an exhibition and concert space since 1986. In the course of time, the building has not only undergone a transformation. The church, a Marienkirche, was built in late Gothic style in 1390. At that time, the ensemble consisted of today’s Frauenkircherl and a building to the right of it, in which the chancel and the sacristy were located. In 1648, at the end of the Thirty Years’ War, the Frauenkircherl was badly damaged in a fire. After the Battle of Hohenlinden on December 3, 1800, during the Napoleonic Wars, the church was converted into a horse stable by French troops. Three years later, the church finally came to an end during secularization. Church owners were then expropriated by the state.
An old view of the Frauenkircherl after being bombed during the war.
(Photo: City Archives)
The time after that was changeable. The former sacristy was converted into a sales room, and apartments were also built. The shop building changed hands several times and over time has housed a grocery store, a lottery ticket office and a travel agency, among other things. The latter is still there. In 1870 there was a new use for the actual Frauenkircherl: the Erdinger fire brigade moved in and was there until 1974, when the new fire brigade equipment house on Lebzelterstraße was inaugurated in 1974. And so began a new chapter. The church was completely rebuilt, the gates were bricked up, the false ceiling was removed and new windows were installed. Since 1986, the former church and fire station has been used as an exhibition and concert space.
An exhibition of works by the artist Jecheskiel David Kirszenbaum can currently be seen in the Frauenkircherl. It was organized by Eleni Lehner.
(Photo: Renate Schmidt)
And there you can see the exhibition “Jecheskiel David Kirszenbaum – Caricatures of a Bauhausler on the Weimar Republic” from Thursday, September 15th, until Monday, September 19th. Visitors are shown “introductory works on the Polish-Jewish past” by Kirszenbaum, works from his Bauhaus period, but above all caricatures from Berlin during the Weimar Republic. This is supplemented by documents, photos and explanations of the historical background. “JD Kirszenbaum is an outstanding example of an outlawed artist who was predicted a great future in Berlin during the Weimar Republic, who suffered under Nazi rule and whose work was only saved from oblivion thanks to the commitment of friends and institutions such as the Goethe-Institut Tel Aviv could be,” as stated in the announcement by the adult education center (VHS) Erding. The Frauenkircherl is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturday, September 17, but only from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Sunday, September 18, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The exhibition is part of a theme week
The exhibition is part of a VHS theme week “1700 years of Jewish life in Germany”. The event will be supplemented by a musical lecture by Walter Erpf entitled “Say ‘hello’ when you say goodbye – audience favorites from the 20s and 30s – honored, chased away, forgotten” in the VHS building in Erding, room B 133, on Friday, September 16th , from 7.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The subject is the fate of Jewish musicians, “some of whose melodies, lyrics and voices are still known, but whose living conditions have been forgotten,” the announcement says. Participation costs 14 euros, reduced 11.20 euros (including with a culture card). It will take order below www.vhs-erding.de or phone 08122/97870.