Red Mosque - proof of German tolerance from the 18th century

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Red Mosque in the palace gardens of the German town of Schwetzingen shows that the Federal Republic of Germany has deep roots of liberalism and tolerance towards the other and different. 
 
Construction of the mosque began in 1779 and was completed in 1785. The Red Mosque is the largest complex of Oriental style at that time in German-speaking countries and is part of the newest section of the Schwetzingen gardens.
 
The interior incorporates elements of Moorish-Islamic architectural style. The centre of the mosque is a round dome bordered by square side rooms. The floor consists of marble mosaics. 
 
The Schwetzingen mosque was rarely used for Islamic services. Perhaps the reason is that very few Muslims lived in Germany at that time. 
 
Nevertheless, it was used as a prayer space in 1870/71 by captured French soldiers from French - Muslim colonies. 
 
The mosque has two minarets. On the outer walls - as well as on the dome ceiling - there are calligraphies with verses from the Holy Qur'an or sayings. Some verses and sayings are also written in German.
 
The Red Mosque was designed by court architect Nicolas Pigage. The mosque survived even the most difficult times of German history, the era of fascism and Hitler. 
 
Since 1970, reconstructions have been carried out on the entire Schwetzingen palace complex according to a maintenance plan, and in 1990 a restoration of both the interior and exterior of the mosque began, which was completed in 2007. 
 
The federal state of Baden-Württemberg invested about 10 million euros in the restoration of this mosque. 
 
The mosque, together with the palace, has been turned into a museum visited daily from spring to late autumn by tourists from all over the world.