Location
Hainichener Strasse 64
DE-09599 Freiberg, Sachsen
Germany
Contact
Telephone: (49) 3731-35960
Facsimile: (49) 3731-3596-23
Distribution Services: (49) 3731-22908
Details
Announcement: 9 October 1982
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 23 April 1983 by Thomas S. Monson
Public Open House: 3–15 June 1985
Dedication: 29–30 June 1985 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Public Open House: 17–31 August 2002
Rededication: 7 September 2002 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Site: 1 acre.
Exterior Finish: White German stucco plastered over 24-inch thick brick walls and a blue gray slate stone slab roof.
Ordinance Rooms: One ordinance room and two sealing.
Total Floor Area: 14,125 square feet.
Temple Renovation:
The Freiberg Germany Temple will close on Monday, February 9, 2015 until May 2016 to accommodate a renovation. The temple was previously rededicated in 2002 after a renovation. The temple will be rededicated a third time following the current renovation. The Frankfurt Germany Temple is preparing to accommodate members from the Freiberg Germany Temple district during the closure.
Temple Locale:
The Freiberg Germany Temple stands in the northwest section of beautiful and historic Freiberg. Citizens of all faiths feel an owernship and pride in the building, which they refer to as "our" temple. Distribution Services and housing for the temple president, missionaries, and patrons are located west of the temple while a meetinghouse stands to the north. The attractive grounds are lovingly maintained and open to the public.
Temple Facts:
The Freiberg Germany Temple was the first temple built in a communist nation and the first built on German soil.
The Freiberg Germany Temple was originally named the Freiberg DDR Temple.
At 7,840 square feet, the Freiberg Germany Temple was the smallest temple the Church had ever constructed.
Following diligent efforts by the Church to obtain permission for its faithful couples to attend the Bern Switzerland Temple, the government asked if it might consider building a temple in East Germany. The Church gratefully accepted the invitation and built the Freiberg Germany Temple.
Though just 40,000 Germans called the city of Freiberg home, crowds of 89,871 attended the two-week open house of the Freiberg Germany Temple—some waiting up to three hours in the rain for a chance to get inside.
In 1990, five years after the dedication of the Freiberg Germany Temple, the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was reunited with the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).
An angel Moroni statue was added to the Freiberg Germany Temple 16½ years after its dedication on December 20, 2001, as part a major renovation and expansion project.
Temple History—Re=dedication:
On September 7, 2002, President Gordon B. Hinckley presided at the re=dedication of the Freiberg Germany Temple, which he had originally dedicated over 17 years earlier. In the months that preceded the re-dedication, the temple was closed for extensive renovation and expansion that raised the quality of construction and decor to higher standards. Additional square footage extending to the east approximately doubled the size of the temple. New amenities included installation of twelve oxen to support the baptismal font, a non-patrons waiting room, a matron/brides room, and an office for the temple president. On December 20, 2001, the previously statueless spire was topped by a gold-leafed statue of angel Moroni.1
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1. "Angel statue added to Freiberg temple," Church News 12 Jan. 2002: 6.