Contractor turns church into car museum

A builder from Herne gives up his company - to turn a church into a vintage car museum. "It's never been done before," he says proudly. Not everyone sees it so positively.

Jörg Künzel has a crazy plan: He wants to turn a centuries-old church into a classic car museum. Several media had reported on this. The object of his desire: St. Ludgerus Church in Gelsenkirchen-Buer. Until recently, the Catholic house of worship was owned by the Diocese in Essen, but the diocese and its parishes are losing members.

There is a development process in the diocese of Essen - "there are fewer Catholics with us. For pastoral and economic reasons, we have decided to close some churches in recent years," says Ludger Klingeberg, public relations officer of the St. Urbanus parish in Gelsenkirchen. "As with all churches that are abandoned, the question is: What happens to it? Then Mr. Künzel just contacted us with the lower monument authority - and presented his project. And got the go-ahead," says Klingeberg.

One of Künzel's treasures: The 59-year-old wants to build a ramp to the church to display the cars.

"The purchase is signed and sealed," Künzel proudly tells us in broad Ruhr slang. "The bishops who are responsible for it, the auditors from the diocese - everyone has agreed." Officially, he doesn't own the building until Nov. 27, "but they're already letting me do it here. And I have to say that clearly: the Catholic Church, before which I have and had great prejudices, supports me here properly, just like the monument protection Gelsenkirchen - they give everything," says Künzel. Künzel, who is from Herne, plans to exhibit around 40 collector's items in the church soon.

At the end of the month, he and his team want to be finished with the work in the basement. "Then we'll tackle the organ rooms and the music-making and piano rooms. We've already cleared out the confessionals, too - to refurbish the boarding." Repairs to the left half of the church roof have also been made, he said. He plans to start on the other this week.

Actually, the 59-year-old owns his own business as a construction machinery dealer, and on the side, the man from Herne has been collecting classic cars and motorcycles as a passion for 35 years. For him, the decision is clear: He will soon quit his old job. "At the end of December, I'll sell the company, then it's all about the museum."

Not all residents and parishioners welcome the car enthusiast's project. "I know from the community that there are mixed voices. Of course, this is eyed skeptically, 'what's happening there', on the other hand, the parish then also says of course: it's good that a solution is there so quickly. I'm behind that, too. Because it is a listed building - the fear was that it would take a long time to bring life back into the church. We're happy as a parish to have found such a quick solution."

Künzel also knows that there are not only positive voices about the project. "You can't avoid that," he says. "In general, however, I am convinced that the museum will be well received," Künzel continues.

The plans for the free car museum are on a tight schedule, because everything should be up and running by the end of next year: "Then we'll move the cars to the side - and hold a big Christmas market in and around the church." The museum should already be open by then. "That hasn't happened in Germany yet either," says Künzel.

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