UNDATED – The historic church St. Katharinen in Lensahn, Germany. Scan by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: J.C. Banck
The story behind the image
A while ago I acquired this postcard showing the historic church in Lensahn, Germany. Sadly, the card is undated, and little is known about its publisher, Johann Christian Banck from Lensahn. Banck had been a local merchant but he died already in 1903, and from the look of the postcard, I do not believe that he captured this image. It is more likely that his son, Johann Christian Banck (1885-1949) has published this image in his early years, probably between 1919 and 1930.
My family has deep ties to the area of Ostholstein, including some ties to Lensahn and its church.
- My great-grandparents lived here probably between 1906 and 1915.
- My great aunt Irmgard was born here and got baptized in this church in 1908.
- My great-grandparents lived here again from 1949 to 1956, probably longer.
The church was built in the mid-13th century during the High Gothic period. It is one of the oldest brick churches in eastern Holstein. The rectangular brick building exhibits typical features of North German Brick Gothic. It was dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria from the beginning.
In the 16th century, with the Reformation, the church became Evangelical Lutheran. The building’s basic structure remained intact but was renovated and expanded several times.
The church has always been the center of the Lensahn parish, which stretched across several villages. Renovations took place in the 19th century, and major restorations were carried out in the 20th century following war damage and age-related decay. Today, it is the oldest building in Lensahn and strongly characterizes the townscape.
The churchyard was formerly also a cemetery. Today it is a park-like space with old trees (which are still small in the photo above.)
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | 1920-1930 |
| Photographer | unknown |
| Publisher | J.C. Banck, Lensahn |
| Location | Gleschendorf, Germany |
| Image Source | 14 x 9.2 cm postcard |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6426 x 4063 Pixels |
| Copyright | © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: J.C. Banck |
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