Church as site of insight

Abstract

Starting from the exploration of church architecture in Gdańsk/Danzig and Cologne as represented in the “Danzig Trilogy” by Günter Grass, the present essay unfolds the suggestive net of analogies between the semantic fields ensuing from the respective “sacral topoi”. Accordingly, the correspondences between the historically, symbolically and morally charged topographies “Trinity -Danzig” on one hand, and “Trinity-Köln” on the other lay open Grass’ myth criticism in reference to failing counter projects to German National Socialism in Danzig prewar period, as well as to public intellectual life during the immediate post-war years in Cologne which Grass conceives of as an equally failing, for escapist attitude of non-awareness.