Andres Gunther
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40 Years Kleuker Organ of La Resurrección LC, Caracas, Part 01
GERMANS AND THE GERMAN LUTHERAN CONGREGATION IN VENEZUELA:
This is a somewhat off topic historic synopsis which leads to a on-topic
history however. A much more extensive version of this first part was
published in another List; folks who are subscribed to both lists therefore
may delete this.
Germans (and Austrians) are present in Venezuela since Colony times.
Alexander von Humboldt visited the country in the late 1700s and was the
first man who climbed Mount Avila and "La Silla" peaks at the North of
Caracas and made a huge scientific expedition travelling along the Orinoco
River. For this reason, Alexander von Humboldt is considered as a National
Hero in Venezuela.
As for the Austrians, they brought the "Mannheimer Musikstil" to Venezuela.
This music style influenced our native composers for almost a century.
In 1848 a group of german immigrants from the "Kaiserstuhl" region founded a
small village in the mountains at the West of Caracas: the "Colonia Tovar".
This village is a tourist attraction since its houses are all built in old
fashioned german "Fachwerk" style which is unique in the otherwise
hispano-american country.
Venezuelans are germanophiles. Gral Juan Vicente Gómez, who ruled the
country for 27 years, was a friend of Emperor William II and encouraged the
settlement of german Benedictine Monks and their agrarian educational
projects with the orphans. These Benedictines still exist, and a humble
servant built the organ for their new abbey in 1990.
Several businessmen came from Germany to make fortune in Venezuela. The
Vollmers and the Uslars were among the earliest; the Vollmer family still
owns a big sugar farm. The Gathmanns were famed jewel traders. The Blohms,
who initially opened a branch of "Blohm & Voss", own the "BECO" Megastore
(alike Walmart) and "EPA" Hardwares (alike Home Depot). German firms
established filials here and the German-Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce
CAVENAL sponsors several Culture and Social development projects.
Speaking of culture it is important to mention the establishment of the
"Humboldt Gymnasium", our german school in Caracas; the "Humboldt Cultural
Society" in conjuction with the Goethe Institut, and the "Bachakademie
Caracas" founded by Mrs. Maria Guinand, a former student of Music Director
Prof. Helmuth Rilling in Stuttgart.
German influence in venezuelan music and organ building started in the late
19th / early 20th cty. German organ building in Venezuela found its most
important representative in Mr. Kurt Schmeltzer who immigrated to Venezuela
in 1923 and cared for the existing organs and built many new instruments for
nearby 40 years.
It is important to remember that Venezuela was a 100% spanish catholic
country until well advanced 20th cty. Ultra-conservatism and strong reserves
against protestantism in every denomination was the hallmark of the Church
and the People until 1966; and RC was the "Official Religion" of Venezuela
until 1999. Therefore, most of the protestants who came to the country in
the 19th cty converted to catholicism, out of need to join a church and get
their children baptized, or for Social Acceptance.
This situation caused some alarm in the "Motherland", and the idea to
establish a protestant Mission in Venezuela was taken seriously into
consideration. After a first failed attempt in 1865, in 1893 the then
Ambassador of the German Empire, His Excellency Duke von Kleist-Tychow gave
the initiative to found the "German Preacher Congregation in Caracas". The
venezuelan government of General Joaquin Crespo supported actively that
initiative.
The Congregation had hard times but survived all the difficulties due to the
fact that there always was a strong character there to hold it together.
The hardest time for the German Preacher Congregation however was the WW II
time. Venezuela was on the Allied side and the government took away
properties of german citizens, among them the whole inventory and fonds of
the German Preacher Congregation.
After World War II the german immigration in Venezuela reached an absolute
peak, and the need for an organized Pastorate for the immigrants became
urgent. The Lutheran World Federation (USA chapter) re-joined the German
Preacher Congregation, and in 1952 a German-American Pastor, Dr. Heinrich
Falk, was sent to Venezuela with the commitment to raise the Preacher
Congregation into a solid status.
Between 1952 and 1957 Dr. Heinrich Falk built a Congregational Center in the
newly founded suburb "La Castellana" nearby Chacao at the East Side of
Caracas. Incidentally the Center stands on the grounds of the former "San
Felipe" Plantation from where Alexander von Humboldt had started his
Expedition to Mount Avila and "La Silla" 200 years earlier. At instance of
the LWF the center had to be shared by a german, a hungarian, a
scandinavian, a letionian, an english speaking and a spanish speaking
congregation. Later on, the English speaking congregation became
independent.
"Iglesia Luterana La Resurrección" was dedicated in 1957. In January 1959
Dr. Falk died suddendly. His succesor, Dr. Joachim Ernst, inherited little
more than a brand new but empty shell, and between 1961 and 1965 he had to
see for the installation of linings, ceiling, lightening, vent system, pews,
altar, furniture... and the organ. In 1968, the German preacher Congregation
was renamed into "St. Michael's Congregation".
In the "Golden Seventies" a huge number of german business people came to
Venezuela taking advantage of the "Petro-Dollar-Flood". The congregation had
a steady growth and the tasks (German Pastorate, Ecumenism, Music, Social
Welfare) became so many that for a time the congregation had to be leaded by
two pastors and a vicar. These tasks leaded to the foundation of the IELV
(Evangelical Lutheran Church of Venezuela), the "Acción Ecuménica"
Association and several welfare projects. Some setback came in after the
Golden Years were over, but in 1993 the Congregation celebrated her 100th
anniversary with great enthusiasm.
Right now the congregation faces a contraction, however. After three decades
of incredible economic growth the country is in political turmoil and misery
anew. Many business people went back to Germany. The german immigrants who
raised the Center and the Congregation in the 1950s and 1960s grew old and
died. Most of their German-Venezuelan descendants emmigrate to Germany or to
the USA. The remaining "young people" marry into hispanic families, and
their children barely speak german and join spanish speaking congregations.
This situation has reached a point that the German Lutheran Congregation is
in growing need of hands and money.
With this background in mind we will come to the on-topic history in the
next installement! Stay tuned...
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All began when Ktesibios of Alexandria said:
"Come, let us build an Organ!"
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