Augusta Victoria Complex

Built on Mount Scopus in 1907, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension in the Augusta Victoria complex is still one of the most imposing structures in the city, with its 65-meter bell tower visible from miles away in all directions. Augusta Victoria was built by German Keiser Wilhelm II, who named it after his wife. Initially serving as a guesthouse for German pilgrims, it has filled a variety of purposes over the years: Winston Churchill, then-British Colonial Secretary, used it as his office after World War I during the deliberations over the future of Transjordan; it was the official residence of the British High Commissioner in the 1920s; and in the 1930s it emphatically reclaimed its German identity, serving as the main venue for meetings of the Nazi party’s Jerusalem chapter (yes, it did exist, led by Ludwig Buchhalter, a Templer resident of the German Colony neighborhood). Today, in addition to the church, the Augusta Victoria complex includes a 161-bed specialized care hospital and runs a guesthouse for Lutheran volunteers and guests. The building is still very impressive and the healthy will enjoy it for its unique architecture.