Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Baden-Baden Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden

Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden

This magnificent church allows travelers along one of Germany's busiest roadways a chance to rest and reflect.

Baden-Baden, Germany

Added By
Seerauber Aine
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden  
Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden   Seerauber Aine / Atlas Obscura User
Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden   Seerauber Aine / Atlas Obscura User
Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden   Seerauber Aine / Atlas Obscura User
Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden  
Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden   Seerauber Aine / Atlas Obscura User
Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden   Seerauber Aine / Atlas Obscura User
Inside Church   leroix / Atlas Obscura User
Behind Church   leroix / Atlas Obscura User
  lhfixer / Atlas Obscura User
  lhfixer / Atlas Obscura User
  lhfixer / Atlas Obscura User
  lhfixer / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Visitors to this rest area will find no service station or coffee shops. Instead, as they approach the building, they will see a relief tower covered in strange symbols and a path leading to a pyramid made of glass and concrete. Around the tower there is a carving of a human body with a car for its head. 

A cross atop the pyramid identifies it as a church, but the whole picture looks more like something out of a Mesoamerican retrofuturistic fantasy. As visitors walk along the path and up the stairs, they are greeted by gorgeous enamel doors. This is the Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus. 

Sculptor Emil Wachter designed the Autobahnkirche during the 1970s. It's arguably the most peculiar of the more than forty German "road churches." These roadside havens for stressed drivers might adhere to the Catholic or Protestant faiths, but are not subordinate to any ecclesiastical body. They mostly claim to be ecumenical places of worship and respites for the soul amidst the aggressive dynamics of the traffic jungle. While a few are simply old village churches or chapels assigned an additional purpose, the ones that were designed specifically as road churches often display curious construction designs. 

The Autobahnkirche Baden-Baden is devoted to St. Christophorus, the patron saint of travelers. The main building stands at the center of a cross-shaped set of four avenues. At the end of each avenue, a relief tower indicates the limits of the church area. The towers also depict scenes from the stories of Noah (East), John the Baptist (West), Elijah (North), and Moses (South).

Some 2000 different motifs also decorate the Autobahnkirche’s walls and stained glasses. 

Related Tags

Highways Churches Architecture Religion Sacred Spaces

Community Contributors

Added By

Seerauber Aine

Edited By

linkogecko, leroix, lhfixer

  • linkogecko
  • leroix
  • lhfixer

Published

February 18, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Emil Wachter, Alfons Deissler, Herbert Schade. „Die Bilderwelt der Autobahnkirche Baden-Baden”. Herder Verlag, 2. Auflage 1988.
Autobahnkirche St. Christophorus Baden-Baden
1 Am Rasthof
Baden-Baden, 76532
Germany
48.810024, 8.179463
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Fahrzeugmuseum Marxzell

Marxzell, Germany

miles away

Schlafen im Weinfass

Sasbachwalden, Germany

miles away

Kindergarten Wolfartsweier

Karlsruhe, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 760
Stories 68

Nearby Places

Fahrzeugmuseum Marxzell

Marxzell, Germany

miles away

Schlafen im Weinfass

Sasbachwalden, Germany

miles away

Kindergarten Wolfartsweier

Karlsruhe, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 760
Stories 68

Related Places

  • San Juan Teposcolula, Mexico

    Templo de San Juan Bautista (Temple of Saint John the Baptist)

    Oaxaca's recently restored "forgotten Dominican convent."

  • Church of Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka

    Brno, Czechia

    Church of Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka

    A striking, modern church devoted to a nun who loved God and beer.

  • Church Entryway with Mosaic of Christ Teaching by Mahonri Young.

    Washington, D.C.

    Washington Family Church National Cathedral

    An amazing example of early-20th-century architecture, this church features marble transported from Utah.

  • San Pedro Chapel

    Tucson, Arizona

    San Pedro Chapel

    This quiet chapel was central to a community of settlers who reclaimed an abandoned fort.

  • Sun setting on a cloudy day.

    Lindon, Colorado

    Abbott Church

    A tiny nondenominational church harkens back to the days of the first homesteaders in the region.

  • Chapel of St. Peter on the Wall

    Bradwell-on-Sea, England

    Chapel of St. Peter on the Wall

    Constructed during the 7th century this is one of the oldest largely intact Christian churches in England.

  • Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

    Postenje, Serbia

    Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul

    The oldest church in Serbia was also the ecclesiastical seat of the region during the Middle Ages.

  • The Telestrion and the Church of Panagia Mesosporitissa

    Elefsina, Greece

    Church of Panagia Mesosporitissa

    Only open for two days a year, this church links ancient Greek and modern Christian celebrations.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.