The “Haus der Stille“ (House of Silence) opened on 5th October 2010 on the Westend Campus, creating a multi-faith prayer room for meditation and reflection for students, employees and others on the Siolistraße behind the auditorium complex (Hörsaalzentrum). There had not previously been a place on the university campus for interreligious dialogue, or prayer for members of different religions.
Quite early in the planning stage a consensus emerged that the house be kept free of elements such as pictures or sculptures, since religious symbols might provoke a negative response from members of different confessions. The only furnishings consist of a few stools and kneelers. Apart from that, a ceremonial emptiness presides within the white walls and the light brown linoleum floors. Utensils for prayer, pictures, books and similar objects are kept in a separate room. A stairway leads downstairs to a washroom and foot washing basins for the ritual washing performed by Muslims before prayer.
In keeping with the intention of the “Haus der Stille” to create a place for reflection and meditation, it is not only open to members of different confessions, but to everyone on campus who desires a quiet place for prayer or a short break.
The “Haus der Stille“ is open on workdays from 9 am to 6 pm. It is operated by the Verein zur Förderung des interreligiösen Dialoges (Association for the promotion of interreligious Dialogue) at Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, which was founded in July 2007.
