The present church of St Barbara in Hultrop is already the third church in Hultrop. The first record of a church or chapel dates back to 1487; unfortunately, nothing is known about its size or appearance. The second church was built in 1719, but after it had become too small, too damp and the roof completely defective, it was demolished in 1963. In the new church – as we see it today – the first mass was celebrated on 23 December 1964, and the consecration by Auxiliary Bishop Nordhues then took place in 1966.

When the second St Barbara’s church was released from the protection of monuments in 1963 because of its low value as a listed building and was approved for demolition, the parish was required to take over the baroque furnishings into the new church: the St Barbara’s altar, the pulpit and the figures of St Barbara and St Laurentius.

The Barbara altar was created in the second half of the 18th century and can be attributed to an artist from the circle of the Sauerland Baroque sculptor Leonard Falter. The altarpiece of St. Barbara (oil on canvas) can be assigned more precisely: It is signed by H.W. Kleine pin. 28.08.1792.

In the asymmetrical arrangement of the interior, the altar of St. Barbara initially had its place on the left side. Only in 1974, when the celebration altar was moved closer to the people, it was placed in the choir. The pulpit is several decades younger than the Barbara altar: Brother Liborius – where he worked and lived is not known – tried to adapt the pulpit to the Barbara altar in its ornamentation. The sculptures of the two patrons St. Barbara and St. Laurentius were made by a sculptor from Overhagen in 1765. Although the depictions and postures are not very delicate, the folk-art value is nevertheless high.

The baptismal font dates back to 1620 and is thus the oldest item of equipment in the church, but it probably did not have its place in the first Barbara Church: for it was not until 1623 that Hultrop became an independent parish and thus had the right to hold baptisms in its own church. Until 1974, the baptismal font had its place under the tower. When the tower chapel was redesigned, it found its place at the front of the church.

During the renovation work from December 2005 to April 2006, the wall painting was artistically designed by Eberhard Münch. The yellow and violet colours of the window in the chancel are continued in the wall painting. The design of the cross on the left side is striking.

In the front area, not only was barrier-free access created by shortening some of the benches, but an appropriate place for baptismal celebrations was also created. The ambo was moved from the right to the left side, where it is closer to the congregation in the asymmetrical church space. The ringing was also extended in the course of this renovation: the bell from the former Büninghauser school and the bell from the cemetery chapel were added to the ringing.

This text was essentially taken from the website of the parish.