The Lukaskirche (St Luke's Church) is a three-naved neo-Gothic column basilica laid out in the shape of a cross. Its imposing 60-metre-tall western spire towers high above Planitz Castle hill, a testament to the economic boom brought about by the region's mining industry.
The neighbouring castle church was eventually unable to accommodate the city's rapidly growing population. Consequently, Zwickau architect Gotthilf Ludwig Möckel was commissioned to design and build the 1000-seat Lukaskirche for 60,000 talers between 1871 and 1876, and the church remained in use until 1968. Gradually abandoned to decay, the church was saved after 1990 thanks to a citizen's initiative funded by the German government and the Saxony State parliament.
Today, the church is a multifunctional venue which hosts regular concerts, religious services and other cultural events.
