Above the altar boy sacristy: At the Christkönigskirche in Penzberg, the second part of the roof truss renovation had begun. © Andreas Baar
Penzberg - The renovation of the Christkönigskirche continues. On Tuesday (30 May), a Bichler carpentry shop arrived on the roof of the altar boy's sacristy.
Actually, the work should have been done earlier, but the bad rainy weather threw a spanner in the works for church caretaker Margareta Drexel. "You don't need to put the roof down," she told the Rundschau on Tuesday (30 May). Now the workers removed the roof panels and dismantled the roof truss. A new construction should be applied by the end of the week.
The roof slabs have been dismantled, as has the roof truss above the altar boy sacristy of the Church of Christ the King. © Andreas Baar
It was the second step in the renovation of the roof statics. In February 2023, work began on the Catholic church on Bahnhofstraße, which was consecrated in 1951: For the first work on the roof truss, the church roof was opened for the delivery of the wooden beams, then the carpenters were able to install the new beams.
Already "emergency repair" on the organ
In March 2023, the organ builders moved in. The instrument, which is more than 60 years old, also needs an overhaul. However, it was a first "emergency repair", as church caretaker Drexel called it: old leather membranes for the organ pipes were replaced by polyp copies. In addition, the electrical connections between keys and whistles were renewed, and there were more fuses for fire protection. Cost: around 40,000 euros. However, the organ still needs a general overhaul.
Donations for renovation
Donations for church renovation can be made to: Catholic Church Foundation Christ the King, Sparkasse Oberland, IBAN DE87 7035 10300032 5750 60, keyword "Donation for church renovation". For more information, please call 08856/92140 or send an e-mail to renovierung@christkoenig.de.
Waiting for electricians
Now work is on the aging church electrical system. The contract was awarded after a long wait in the tender. According to Drexel, the cost estimate is between 200,000 and 300,000 euros, and the electricians are expected to start at the end of June or beginning of July. It should be done by Christmas.
Currently, the church administration is considering with Pastor Bernhard Holz whether to close the Christkönigskirche in August and move to the church in Steigenberg. In this way, the electricians could work "in peace for weeks", says the church caretaker. August is a good time for this, because the parish will have a reduced program anyway due to vacations.
Interior renovation of still large chunks
However, the biggest project in the church renovation is pending - and in the stars. Because the interior of Christ the King also needs to be renewed. But that "is completely open," as Drexel says. There is no timetable yet, but it is currently being considered whether the project will be completed in one go or in several stages. At around 500,000 euros, an initial approach was made, without scaffolding. And without a choir room, for which another 150,000 euros are estimated. At the very beginning, the parish had assumed total costs for the church renovation of around 740,000 euros – but there are subsidies from the diocese and the city.
