The history of St. Martin’s Evangelical Lutheran Church closely mirrors that of Austin itself. The cornerstone for the original building was laid in 1884. In fact, bricks from the previous Capitol building were recycled to build it. Until 1920, the congregation held regular services in German.

Today, a service in German still takes place at Christmas, and parishioners occasionally travel back to Germany to explore their roots. If you visit the current building – which was constructed in a new location in 1960 – pay special attention to the architecture: stained glass from famed 20th century church architects Dominikus and Gottfried Böhm; stone sculptures on the church’s façade by Charles Umlauf; and ornamental fixtures by ironsmith Fortunat Weigl.

Watch our Religious and Ethnic Diversity in German Texan Communities video to learn more about German Texan cultural heritage in Texas. This video was produced for inclusion in our German Texans mobile tour found in our Texas Time Travel Tours mobile app. Download the app for more videos and travel information: