CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS – MUSEUM OF THE DANUBE SWABIANS – APATIN

CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS – MUSEUM OF THE DANUBE SWABIANS – APATIN

This religious building was constructed in the Pseudo-Romanesque style between 1931 and 1933 and was the largest Catholic church built in the Bačka region between the two World Wars. The plans were drawn up by the Viennese architect Bruno Buchwieser, while the building work was carried out by Nikola Schäfer, a building contractor from Apatin who served as president of the local Craftsmen’s Association for a time.

The church was a three-aisled structure with two towers, each 38 metres high, rising from its façade and topped with pyramid-shaped roofs. The main entrance was accentuated by a Romanesque portal with stepped mouldings, above which were a rose window and a tympanum. Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, work on the interior decoration and furnishings was interrupted, leaving many elements of the church unfinished.

Following restoration work in 2001, lightning struck the very top of the right-hand bell tower, causing a fire that damaged the internal wooden structure. As there was no lightning conductor, one of the towers no longer exists.

Today, the Adam Berenc Association is responsible for the entire building and the surrounding complex. The association’s main aim is to breathe new life into the church by turning it into a museum dedicated to the heritage of the Danube Swabians. To this end, the association’s president, Boris Mašić, has spent many years collecting museum artefacts from across Vojvodina. Thanks to his efforts, occasional donations and various projects, the museum already houses a significant number of highly valuable exhibits, despite not yet having formal institutional status.

For detailed information, a visit to the museum is essential. The following are some of its exhibits and collections:

  • Almost 60,000 books
  • Archival material relating to German settlements in Vojvodina
  • A section of the building used as an art gallery
  • A collection of ecclesiastical textiles
  • Numerous statues and other exhibits
  • A Pietà monument by the Hungarian sculptor Eduard Telcs
12 Žarka Zrenjanina Street, Apatin
www.apatin.org.rs/videti-i-iskusiti/razgledanje/religijski-objekti/crkva-srca-isusovog-muzej-podunavskih-nemaca_74

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