The Lutheran Church of Saint Annette is a Neo-Gothic temple in the center of Zhytomyr, on Kotsiubynskyi Street. The tall brick building with huge windows is one of the city's most recognizable structures and a reminder of the large German community that lived in Zhytomyr in the 19th century.
The German Community of Zhytomyr
Lutherans appeared in Zhytomyr along with German artisans and merchants. At first, the community prayed in a temporary prayer house on a donated homestead. In the mid-19th century, Mrs. Knaak donated land to the community, and the street was named Lutheran Street. At that time, the German church also had an address on Velyka Berdychivska Street, next to the house where pianist Sviatoslav Richter spent the first months of his life.
Arnold Yensh's Church
The current church was built and consecrated in 1896 in honor of Saint Annette. It was erected in the valley of the former Popovka River bed according to the design of Zhytomyr city architect Arnold Karlovych Yensh. From ordinary bricks, the architect managed to create light, proportional facades in the modernized Gothic style: shallow caissons make the walls solid despite the huge windows. Two years later, Yensh repeated these techniques in the water tower on Pushkinska Street—another landmark of Zhytomyr.
Church and Water Tower
The church and the water tower on Pushkinska Street are worth seeing together: both structures by Arnold Yensh show how the late 19th-century Zhytomyr architect worked with simple red brick, creating light Gothic forms. The tower became a symbol of Zhytomyr, and the church—the best example of Neo-Gothic architecture in the city. Together, they form a small route "Arnold Yensh's Zhytomyr".
In Soviet times, the church was used for other purposes, but after independence it was returned to the Lutheran community. Today, it is an active temple once again.
Tip
The church is best viewed from the outside by walking all the way around it. Combine it with a stroll through the center—from here, it is not far to the Cathedral of Saint Sophia, Mykhailivska Street, and the water tower.
How to Find It
5 Kotsiubynskyi Street, center of Zhytomyr.
