While settling the region with natives of central Russia, the tsarist government attracted foreign settlers, primarily Germans from Bagem, Bavaria. They were given lands and exempted from taxes for 30 years. Thus, at the beginning of the ХІХ century the territory of our region was inhabited by serfs of landlords’ lands, state peasants, German colonists and Nogais.
So on one of the outskirts of Berdyansk appeared slobodka Nemetskaya — it was founded by Germans-colonists. The colony is the most «even» area of the city, the streets here can be seen to the very end: Germans are Germans — they did everything exactly.
The Lutheran community in Berdyansk was founded in 1865.
A little later, in 1901, construction of the Lutheran church Erlöserkirche (Kirche of Christ the Savior) began and it was consecrated on September 26, 1903. The temple was built on donations from members of the community, which at that time numbered more than 1000 people. The members of the community were mainly of German nationality.
The building of Lutheran Church is built in the Gothic style. Externally, the structure resembles the shape of a huge organ. With its grandeur and beauty of the Lutheran church left no one indifferent, especially impressive were the tall, spire-shaped «Befroi» and stained glass windows, from which, as if from heaven, poured multicolored symphony.
The church existed until the mid-1930s, and then the Soviet authorities closed it. The pastors were repressed.
In 1941, due to the entry of the USSR into the war, all persons of German nationality (the basis of the parish) were evicted from their permanent place of residence. Thus the congregation was artificially eliminated.
In the post-war years in the church was located school № 3, and then, in the 1970s, the building was transferred to the then still Berdyansk Pedagogical Institute.
Unfortunately, the beautiful temple with the Lutheran school next to it lost its architectural grandeur. The modern appearance of these architectural monuments was much inferior to the original beauty and has long required restoration.
In 1997, the revival of the Lutheran congregation in Berdyansk began. It happened on June 24 on the Day of John the Baptist according to the Gregorian calendar. In the beginning the congregation consisted of 10 people, but over time the number of parishioners grew several times. Today the congregation consists of about 50 parishioners of 6 nationalities.
On July 1, 2007 after a small cosmetic repair of the building the congregation solemnly entered the kirkha and after 70 years in the temple the worship service was revived. For a year the congregation shared the premises with BGPU. And when the university finally left the walls of the building, it was decided to reconstruct the kirkha.