Frankfurt, Germany, Germany Temple

History

In the 1600’s a religious group known as the Huguenots were severely persecuted in France. They were told to “Change your beliefs or you will be driven out.” Thousands chose “to obey God more than man” and leave France. They were granted sanctuary in Germany in 1687 by Count Friedrich II. They gratefully named the town after him and built a chapel, which they called a temple, hoping for greater fulfillment in their quest for truth.* When the Church proposed to build a temple in Friedrichsdorf, Frankfurt they were met with extreme opposition from local religious leaders. Newspapers considered it a “religious war.” Citizens were warned that the Church would “turn [the] town into a Mormon city.”** Three city councilmen traveled to Sweden, seeking to discover the problems they expected to find in Zollikofen where another temple resided. They returned empty handed. In a city council meeting Immo Luschin, representative for the Church, invited council members to view a film about the Mormons. They voted to do so and their misunderstandings were cleared and public support was granted.*** There were still hurdles to overcome as restrictions were placed on the temple’s appearance. Officials demanded that their skyline not be “stamped with a Mormon symbol” and ruled the spire could not be higher than the nearby Protestant Church.**** Finally, on August 28, 1987, the temple was dedicated by President Ezra Taft Benson. Erika F. Mueller was set apart as assistant temple matron. While researching the town’s history, she was struck by the similarities of the Huguenots and the Mormon pioneers. Continuing her studies, she was given a book about Friedrichsdorf’s founders, it included all their family histories. As she held the book, “the Spirit bore witness… that many of these men and women, now on the other side of the veil, had prayed that their names would be found and their temple work performed.” Three hundred years after establishing a city of refuge, their prayers were answered.* The Frankfurt temple shows us, as Friedrichsdorf Mayor Schmidt said during the open house, “a modern version of religious tolerance that should prevail among mankind.”*****

How Temple Coins are Made

Dave started creating jewelry using metals in 1992, ten years later he had worked with nearly every metal in the jewelry industry! Moving to Thailand, he spent the next nine years perfecting his skills with various metals, 3D models and 3D printers. He dreamed of producing something that would bring delight to purchasers and carry with it positive feelings that would touch the souls of those who owned them. In 2014 he was able to realize his dream. Returning to the US, he uses Lost-wax casting to create a metal master from brass alloy for each temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, depicting, in the highest degree of definition possible, a coin with a 3D image of a temple. The reverse of each coin is cast with the words “Stand ye in holy places.”

Purchase one or two of the temples that hold special meaning to you. Commemorate your visit to a temple by picking up the corresponding coin. Celebrate a milestone in a loved one’s life by gifting them a temple coin to inspire them. Collect them all or just a few. Some are cast in precious metals, making each coin an investment that will be a treasure in every sense of the word.

Additional Information

• Free Shipping on orders over $35.
• All coins are 1 1/4 in.
• Pewter Coins are cast from lead free alloys.
• Brass Coins cast from a silicone, brass alloy.  Giving our brass coins a rich yellow gold color for a fraction of the cost of gold coins.
• Silver Coins are cast from an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper.
• Gold Coins cast in 14K Gold are 58.5% pure gold.  The remaining alloy consists of a copper and silver mix.
• All of our coins are developed, cast, and finished locally in our facility in Logan, UT, U.S.A.

*Source note: Mueller, “Friedrichsdorf, a Hallowed Refuge,” 54-55.
**Harbers, “Mormon Temple in the Huguenot City.”
***”Mormon Temple in Friedrichsdorf”.
****Harbers, “Instead of Tolerance.”
*****Obst, “First 35,000 Visit”, 11.