Boniface Church Raumland

The Boniface Church in Raumland is the oldest preserved church building in Wittgenstein, the oldest hall church in South Westphalia with the oldest bell in Westphalia.

Raumland was the original parish of the area we know today as Wittgenstein. Built between 1240 to 1260.

The massive brickwork and the originally small windows in the vestibule suggest that the church was also used for defence or protection.

On the outside, the compactness of the late Romanesque masonry is striking. In 1956, a ridge turret was added instead of a small bell tower. The south wall has been supported by a massive pillar since 1730.

Inside, the mighty oak plank door between the vestibule and the church hall is particularly worth seeing and dates from the 17th or 18th century.

It is also striking that the pillars in the nave lean outwards. In 1985, wall paintings were uncovered which date from around the middle of the 15th century. They depict the Stations of the Cross.

The communion table from the 17th century is the oldest surviving piece of the church inventory.

Unusual for Wittgenstein are the epitaphs: the largest is on the north side.

The three bells date from the 2nd half of the 14th century.

Today, the parish of Raumland also includes the communities of Berghausen, Dotzlar, Hemschlar, Rinthe, Sassenhausen and Weidenhausen.