More than 20,000 German churches may be abandoned over next decade
September 09, 2026
» Continue to this story on New York Times
CWN Editor's Note: More than 20,000 churches across Germany are “expected to be abandoned in the next five to 10 years,” The New York Times reported, citing Dutch artist and art historian Hedwig Fijen.
“In some churches, they really throw away the key,” Fijen said. “I’ve found sacred objects in the garbage bin.”
“There is no central plan for what to do with the buildings, but secular cultural organizations, artists, preservationists and city planners are looking for ways to repurpose them for the benefit of their cities and towns—whether as health care centers, bookstores or spaces for the arts,” wrote journalist Nina Siegal.
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Posted by: feedback -
Sep. 10, 2026 7:42 AM ET USA
Sacred objects from closed churches could be offered and send to the poorer Catholic dioceses in Africa and Asia, or to the neighboring Poland - for example. I imagine that some of them could be of great esthetic value if they caught the attention of an artist and historian. Perhaps right after the German Bishops stop worrying about the victory of their least favored political party, they could consider using their significant wealth from church tax to save the sacred objects from garbage bins?
