St. Peter's Church and the Historic Churches of Walldorf

Walldorf's old centre has four historic religious buildings within a few minutes' walk of each other: the Catholic church of St. Peter, the Protestant town church (Evangelische Stadtkirche), the small Laurentiuskapelle and the former synagogue. None is a major tourist attraction on its own, but together they tell the story of a village shaped by the religious politics of the Palatinate. This page summarises what is known about each.

Catholic Church of St. Peter (1787)

St. Peter is Walldorf's Roman Catholic parish church. It was built in 1787 in the late Baroque style, at a time when the Electoral Palatinate was ruled by Catholic electors and Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed congregations existed side by side in many villages. As the parish grew after the Second World War, the church was considerably enlarged in 1961–1963; the artist Emil Wachter, known for his church art across Baden, contributed artwork to the extension. The result combines an 18th-century core with a post-war extension.

The church is used for regular services by the Catholic parish; visitors are welcome to look inside when it is open, and should be considerate during services. Service times are published by the Catholic parish and in the town's weekly bulletin.

Protestant Town Church (1856–1861)

The Evangelische Stadtkirche was built between 1856 and 1861 in the neo-Gothic style. It is a three-aisled hall church of six bays and has kept much of its original furnishing from the time of construction, including an altar painting of Christ on the cross by the Nazarene painter Joseph Anton Nikolaus Settegast.

Laurentiuskapelle (1783)

The small Laurentiuskapelle, built in 1783, probably replaced a Gothic chapel of the local castle that was demolished in 1764. Next to it stands an 18th-century half-timbered building known as the Börse — one of the few half-timbered houses in the centre.

Former synagogue (1716)

The building that became Walldorf's synagogue was built in 1716 as a Reformed church. The Jewish community acquired it in 1861. During the November pogrom of 1938 its interior was destroyed; Walldorf's remaining Jewish residents were deported to the Gurs camp in October 1940. From 1954 to 2018 the building was used by the New Apostolic Church. Stolpersteine in the streets of Walldorf commemorate the town's Jewish victims of Nazi persecution — see the history page.

Last reviewed on 5 October 2026. Building dates follow the German Wikipedia article on Walldorf (section "Bauwerke") and its sources.