Dorfkirche Paaren

Dorfkirche Paaren stands in Uetz-Paaren, a district of Potsdam, as a baroque church beside a walled cemetery. Its rectangular hall has plastered façades, three round-arched windows on each long side, and a windowless eastern wall. A square western tower rises above the entrance, with a wooden upper section and a brick-covered tent roof. Simple pilasters, round-arched niches, and the von Bredow family crest shape the tower’s street-facing façade.

Henning Joachim von Bredow supported construction in 1770, and his initials with that year remain on the weather vane. The interior changed substantially under church architect Winfried Wendland in 1962 and 1963. His pulpit, altar, and baptismal font replaced several earlier baroque furnishings, while later work in 2000 and around 2020 introduced movable pieces. Benches now line the outer walls, creating a more flexible arrangement beneath the simple vaulted ceiling.

A brick floor, the original western gallery, and some historic seating preserve links with the first building. Alexander Schuke’s organ dates from 1901 and remains a prominent feature of the interior. A bronze bell from 1873 adds another tangible layer, reportedly made with material captured during the Franco-Prussian War.