Discover Trogen: Church, art and the Way of St James

Trogen is home to a Baroque parish church, a range of artistically crafted features and a pilgrim stage of the Via Imperii Way of St James. Sacred architecture and a named hiking route thus come together in one place. The parish offers a 3D tour of the Protestant church on its church website. Those who would like to explore the church interior before travelling can use it to immerse themselves digitally in the architecture and furnishings. The tour can serve as an informative introduction to the church interior when planning together, before turning to individual works and their different periods of origin.

Baroque church and artistic details

The Baroque hall church was built in 1747 under the patronage of the city of Hof. As a Margrave Church, it forms the centre of the parish. Its architectural form, year of construction and patronage provide a clear historical context for the church building before attention turns to its individual furnishings.

An old crucifix created by Peter Breuer of Zwickau around 1500 hangs to the right of the altar. Breuer was a pupil of Tilman Riemenschneider. The work was thus created well before the Baroque church of 1747; the gap in time can be clearly seen from the two dates. This gives art enthusiasts a concrete comparison between an older work of sacred art and the later church building.

The altar cross on the table of the pulpit altar was carved by Wolfgang Adam Knoll in 1748/49. Its date is shortly after the year the church was built. A baptismal angel by Knoll holds a baptismal bowl in its hands; its colourful robe and large golden wings make the figure a striking detail. Knoll’s name is associated with two different works: the carved altar cross and the baptismal angel with its baptismal bowl.

The organ case also catches the eye with its striking golden ornaments. Originally, it housed an instrument made by the Heidenreich company of the Silbermann school. During the church renovation of 1888/89, the former mother parish of Hof-St. Lorenz handed the instrument over to Trogen parish church. The decorated case and the historic transfer reflect two different aspects of the organ’s history.

There is a Neo-Romanesque tomb on the Trogen cemetery. It complements the Baroque hall church with a building in a different style and shifts the focus from the interior furnishings to the design of a cemetery.

Trogen as a stop on the Via Imperii

The Burgstein–Trogen–Hof pilgrim stage of the Via Imperii Way of St James passes through Trogen. This places the town within the context of a clearly named pilgrimage route. For hikers, the connection lies in walking this stage; for culture-minded travellers, the church’s architecture and artworks take centre stage. When looking for accommodation, you can first decide which focus will shape your stay: church art in Trogen or the town as part of a pilgrimage. The stage name and the church’s details offer two different points of interest.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Schauenstein, Köditz, Helmbrechts, Oberkotzau, Selbitz, Stammbach, Rehau, Sparneck.

To the overview of the region: Hof.