property
Table of Contents
The Rigi Kaltbad mountain church is to find new owners. The 60-year-old building is little used and needs to be renovated. The potential buyer is a local resident.
The Reformed Parish of Lucerne owns a small church that is architecturally valuable but hardly plays any role in church life anymore. Only two to six services a year take place there. Now an expensive renovation is pending. Too expensive for the church community. The church administration would like to sell the building.
We are talking about the Rigi Kaltbad mountain church. Depending on the seating, there is space for 120 people, but according to the church administration, only 13 Reformed people still live on the Rigi today. The Rigi South Side parish uses the space sporadically, but the church is difficult to reach and is not barrier-free.
It was built by Ernst Gisel, a Zurich architect who is one of the big names in Swiss post-war modern architecture. The cantonal monument preservation department recognizes the mountain church as an “excellent church building set in the landscape that absorbs and reflects the topographical situation.” The sacred building is closed to the outside, introspective and completely focused on the liturgy. Today, the mountain church receives the most attention from tourists.
According to the parish, the roof, heating, electrical installations and other things need to be checked and renovated or replaced. It is assumed that investments of between 350,000 and 650,000 francs will be necessary. In view of the low occupancy, the search for a buyer for the property began in Lucerne in 2023.
The church administration chose Markus Reinhard from several interested parties. Reinhard comes from Rigi Kaltbad, is a winemaker, president of the Central Switzerland Wine Growers Association and owner and host at the Lucerne Agriturismo Seeburghof. He has presented a concept that repurposes the mountain church and makes it accessible to the public – while at the same time allowing church services to continue and giving the Reformed Parish of Lucerne a right of first refusal.
How will the mountain church be used in the future?
If he gets the contract, the “KKB Rigi” will be built in Rigi Kaltbad. This stands for culture, art and education Bergkirche Rigi. The name actually contains everything that Reinhard plans to do with the church: it should provide space for art and culture on 100 days a year. On the other 265 days it is a classroom for the Rigi School.
The entrepreneur has set himself the goal of preserving the architecturally valuable building, promoting the location of the Rigi School and promoting community life in the village. “The intended use is considered to be very compatible with the church’s purpose,” writes the church council in a report.
How much is the selling price?
To buy the mountain church, Reinhard offers a sum of 173,000 francs. In his offer he lists an additional 220,000 francs for the renovation and 140,000 francs for sustainable conversion and modernization.
The Great Church Council will decide at its meeting on December 1st whether the winemaker should become the church owner.
