Moving a building over a distance of 36 feet does not seem like a big deal today. But back then, in 1892, moving a complete building over any distance was an engineering masterstroke.
St Jacob Chapel was built around 1320 as part of St. Jakob Hospital. For 500 years, the hospital was located outside the city walls to treat sick travelers without admitting them into town and thus spreading infectious diseases.
At the same time as the chapel, a small trench, the Jacob's Canal was dug to ship commercial goods from river Havel directly to the town's market places. For centuries, a small, wooden bridge crossed the canal next to chapel.
In the 19th century, the city grew beyond its original borders and a the houses of a new town extension began to engulf the hospital and its chapel. In 1892, it was decided to widen the road next to the chapel and to replace the old bridge with a modern, wider one.
St; Jacobs was the last remaining medieval chapel in town. The City was only a few decades away from its Millennium Celebration, thus, town officials tried to protect the historical chapel at any cost.
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Historical picture of the relocation, source: Wikipedia
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