St. Anne's Shrine

According to city historian Gerhard Terwelp, St. Anne’s Shrine was first mentioned in 1540. The original sculpture of St. Anne with her daughter, the Virgin Mary, is believed to have stood in the city wall at Möhlenwall.

Old postcards show the shrine, also known as a wayside shrine, set in a wall between Möhlenring and Möhlenwall.

A new shrine for “Mother Anna,” as she is affectionately called by the residents of Ellenstraße, was erected in 1935 at the corner of Möhlenring and Ellenstraße, where the war memorial now stands.

On 10 February 1945, both the intersection and the shrine were destroyed in a bombing raid, but the precious statue was recovered almost intact from the rubble.

In 1960, generous donations – primarily from the Ellenstraße street community – enabled the shrine to be rebuilt at its present location. The community still owns the shrine and statue today, maintaining its appearance and providing candles and fresh flowers.

Even today, many people pause before the shrine in quiet prayer, often leaving a donation in the slot provided. The inscription carved here expresses a timeless wish:

St. Anne, protect town and country
With your child from hardship and fire.