By Dave Graham
BERLIN (Reuters) - A rundown Protestant church built toglorify Hitler's Third Reich is hoping for a new lease of lifeas a memorial against Nazi oppression.
The place of worship in southern Berlin is a unique exampleof the Protestant Church's adoption of Nazi propaganda, withfurnishings rich in symbolism favoured by the dictatorship.
From the entrance hall chandelier shaped like an iron crossmilitary medal to the wooden carving of a Wehrmacht soldier onthe pulpit standing on the right-hand side of Jesus, theatmosphere is heavy with reminders of Hitler's rule.
The brown-brick church that once reverberated to the swellof Nazi anthems badly needs repairs. This week, the parishlaunched a bid to secure fresh investment to rescue thebuilding completed in 1935, two years after the Fuehrer tookpower.
"The building shows how such a murderous ideology couldinfest itself in a 'normal' society," said local pastorHans-Martin Brehm.
"I think every generation risks doing terrible things ifit's not mindful of the past," he said.
Brehm estimates the building, which is no longer used forregular services, needs 3.5 million euros (2.79 millionpounds).
"If nothing's done, it's going to collapse," he said.
Brehm wants the Martin Luther Memorial Church to become aplace of remembrance that is used for regular cultural events,not a museum that he says would render it a "dead stone" relic.
Authorities appear sympathetic to the church's plight.
Given the building's link to the Nazi era, it is a strongcandidate for public funding, said Anna Maria Odenthal atBerlin's office for the conservation of historical monuments.
BANNED SYMBOLS
The building's origins go back to the anti-Semitic DeutscheChristen (German Christian) movement which claimed to havehundreds of thousands of Protestant members by the mid-1930s.
A study by historian Manfred Gailus calculated that about aquarter of Berlin's Protestant parishes were run by pro-Naziclergy, with many others acquiescent.
Towering over the church's chancel is a "victory arch" oftiles decorated with images that alternate from traditionalChristian symbols to the blank faces of helmeted soldiers andNazi stormtroopers from the brown-shirted Sturmabteilung (SA).
According to locals, an image of Protestant reformer MartinLuther inset in the wall of the entrance hall was replaced byHitler's face. Luther's likeness has since returned.
Swastikas that once adorned the church have also beenremoved. The Nazi symbol is banned in modern Germany.
But many other reminders of the period remain.
On a raised platform above the entrance is an organ firstplayed at the Nuremberg Nazi party rally of 1935 -- whereanti-Semitic race laws where passed.
Yet despite its purpose-built design, the church has neverbecome a shrine to neo-Nazis, nor was it a shining example ofobedience to Hitler's regime, said Brehm, 55.
"The parish rejected all the mass baptisms and uniformedparades, apart from when they were officially prescribed. Theywent on in the neighbouring churches," he said.
Just weeks after the infamous Jewish pogrom in November1938 "Reichskristallnacht" (Night of Breaking Glass), the localpastor wed a Jewish woman to an "Aryan" German in the church.
"That was strictly forbidden then," said Brehm.
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(Editing by David Fogarty)