Road church

A road church is a roadside church, one of a network of such churches in Denmark (Danish: vejkirke), Germany (German: Autobahnkirche), Estonia (Estonian: Teeliste kirikud), Finland (Finnish: tiekirkko, Swedish: vägkyrka), Norway (Norwegian: veikirke),[1] Russia (Murmansk oblast) and Sweden (Swedish: vägkyrka). The churches are kept open for tourists during the summer holiday season.

A German traffic sign for a road church

Czech Republic
The Chapel of Reconciliation near Pilsen in Bohemia, Czech Republic

The only road church in the Czech Republic is the Chapel of Reconciliation (Czech: kaple Smíření), located at D5 motorway in west Bohemia near Pilsen, built in 2008.

Denmark
List of road churches in Denmark

Estonia
List of road churches in Estonia

Finland
List of road churches in Finland

The first road churches (Finnish: tiekirkko, Swedish: vägkyrka) were opened in Finland during the 1990s. There are about 265 churches that act as roadside churches in the summer time. Most of the churches are Lutheran and some are Finnish Orthodox.[2]

Germany
A German traffic sign for a road church

The first road church was opened in Germany in 1958. In 2012 there are 39 road churches or chapels.[3] Some of them were built on purpose in a rest area, others are old village churches which happen to be situated near an access point. In liturgical terms, they range from ecumenical chapels with no formal rank up to fully consecrated Roman Catholic churches.

Autobahnkirche Baden-Baden
Autobahnkirche Burkau-Uhyst am Taucher
Emmauskapelle, Singen
  1. Ökumenische Autobahnkapelle Dammer Berge
  2. Ökumenische Autobahnkapelle Roxel
  3. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche Exter
  4. Evangelisch-lutherische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche Peter und Paul, Uhyst am Taucher
  5. Ökumenische Autobahnkapelle Geismühle
  6. Katholische Autobahnkapelle St. Raphael, Nievenheim
  7. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche Gelmeroda
  8. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche Waldlaubersheim (Martinskirche)
  9. Katholische Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Himmelkron, Bad Berneck
  10. Autobahnkirche "Maria, Schutz der Reisenden", Adelsried
  11. Katholische Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus, Baden-Baden
  12. Katholische Autobahn- und Pfarrkirche "Maria am Wege", Windach
  13. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche Duben
  14. Katholische Autobahnkapelle St. Antonius, Gescher/Coesfeld
  15. Ökumenische Autobahnkapelle "Galluskapelle", Leutkirch im Allgäu
  16. Evangelische Autobahnkirche Medenbach
  17. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche Kavelstorf
  18. Ökumenische Autobahnkapelle "Jesus - Brot des Lebens", Groß-Hesepe
  19. Ökumenische Autobahnkapelle "Emmauskapelle", Engen (near Singen)
  20. Ökumenische Autobahnkirche "Licht auf unserem Weg", Geiselwind
  21. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche Werbellin
  22. SVG-Autohofkapelle Schlüchtern
  23. Autobahnkirche Siegerland
  24. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche St. Benedikt, Hohenwarsleben
  25. Evangelische Autobahn-, Stadt- und Klosterkirche Brehna
  26. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche St. Petri, Brumby
  27. SVG-Autohofkapelle Hessisch Lichtenau
  28. SVG-Autohofkapelle Schwabhausen
  29. Ökumenische Autobahnkirche Waidhaus
  30. SVG-Autohofkapelle Kirchheim/Hessen
  31. Ökumenische Autobahnkirche Jakobikirche, Wilsdruff
  32. Evangelische Autobahn- und Gemeindekirche St. Pancratius, Rothenschirmbach, OT der Lutherstadt Eisleben
  33. Autohofkapelle an der A 44 Kassel-Dortmund, Abfahrt Diemelstadt
  34. Evangelische Autobahnkirche St. Kilian
  35. Autobahnkapelle Kassel "Licht auf dem Weg"
  36. Autobahnkapelle Hamm
  37. Autobahnkirche RUHR in Bochum
  38. Autobahnkirche St. Paul, Wittlich
  39. Autobahnkirche St. Thomas von Aquin, Trockau
  40. Evangelische Nikolaikirche und katholische St. Marienkirche Grasdorf (Holle)

Italy
The church of San Giovanni Battista near Florence, Italy.

Norway
List of road churches in Norway

Russia
List of road churches in Russia

There were two road churches in Murmansk oblast open in summer 2012.[4]

Sweden
A sign for a road church in Sweden
List of road churches in Sweden

References
  1. http://www.kirken.no/index.cfm?event=doLink&famId=6909
  2. "Roadside churches in Finland". Tiekirkot.fi. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  3. http://www.autobahnkirche.info/Kirchen/index.jsp
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20120519050852/https://www.nordkirker.net/suomeksi/venajan-kirkot.htm
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