Elbingerode (dpa/sa) – The federal and state governments are investing in the preservation of the deaconesses’ mother house in Elbingerode in the Harz Mountains, which is part of the Bauhaus heritage of Saxony-Anhalt. According to the announcement, Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) will hand over a funding decision to the head of the facility, Reinhard Holmes, on Friday (12 noon).
The funds from the state treasury amounting to 180,000 euros are intended for the renovation of the facade of the stairwell. The federal government is also to provide 180,000 euros for the project, and the renovation will cost a total of around 400,000 euros. According to the information, the support is provided as part of the monument preservation promotion.
The mother house was inaugurated in 1934 and designed by the Erfurt architect Godehard Schwethelm (1899-1992). He was guided by the modern Bauhaus style and opted for a simple, timeless and functional design. In Elbingerode, Schwethelm, who was influenced by the Bauhaus school, succeeded in realizing “a reform of living environments under social aspects”.
In 2016, according to its own statements, the Deaconess Mother House was part of the exhibition “Big Plans – Applied Modernity in Saxony-Anhalt 1919-1933”. The deaconesses’ mother house is listed as a monument in the state’s monument information system. It belongs to the German community diaconal association based in Marburg.
