The Freiberg Germany Temple — A Latter-day Miracle Behind the Iron Curtain (1985)
Published August 26, 2026 at 6:57 AM
Contributed by
Todd Morgan
Beaumont, CA, 92223
Henry Burkhardt (J. Henry Burkhardt) became, after 1952, the de facto head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) and, from 1969, president of the Dresden Mission. Under an atheist regime that forbade proselyting, restricted travel, and barred Church literature from crossing the border, the Saints in East Germany preserved their faith for decades — producing manuals on typewriters with carbon paper and calling local youth and married men as missionaries. The crowning 'quiet miracle' was the construction and dedication of the Freiberg Germany Temple in 1985 — the only Latter-day Saint temple ever built in a communist state. Burkhardt led the delicate negotiations with the GDR government that made the temple possible. President Thomas S. Monson, who labored many years among the East German Saints, recounted that during the struggle 'the Lord opened many doors at various times of need as the work progressed, and quiet miracles occurred to keep it moving.' Religious Studies Center scholars titled the history of the temple 'A Latter-day Miracle.' Burkhardt's faithful, diplomatic leadership was later acknowledged as one of the remarkable instances of divine intervention that allowed temple blessings to reach Saints locked behind the Iron Curtain.
Fuller account of this event (as retold in David F. Boone and Richard O. Cowan, 'The Freiberg Germany Temple: A Latter-day Miracle,' in Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Europe (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, BYU, 2003), 147–67):
“I thought in my heart,” President Burkhardt recalled, “that the First Presidency was not likely to agree to the construction of a temple in a communist land.” Nevertheless, he eagerly reported these developments to Elder Monson, who in turn discussed them with the First Presidency. Elder Monson recorded in his journal, “We then placed the temple drawings as inconspicuously as we could within Brother Jorgensen’s briefcase and drove across the border into East Germany.” The group met with Henry Burkhardt, who “had tears come to his eyes when he saw the drawings.”
In Their Own Words
“Mission leaders fasted and prayed earnestly over this matter. President Burkhardt affirmed, "I give you my personal testimony, although until then I was always against the location of Freiberg, that the Lord gave us the answer that Freiberg was a wonderful place for an endowment house. We received the assurance that there was no reason to reject this offered location." Of the hillside site itself: "We both had an unusually pleasant feeling. We were very certain that this was the right place, although the public transportation left much to be desired." And of the whole project: "I recognized Heavenly Father's hand at work. With His help the impossible becomes reality."”
“At the dedication, Elder Thomas S. Monson reflected: "Frequently people will ask, 'How has it been possible for the Church to obtain permission to build a temple behind the Iron Curtain?' My feeling is simply that the faith and devotion of our Latter-day Saints in that area brought forth the help of Almighty God and provided for them the eternal blessings which they so richly deserve."”
— Henry Burkhardt, address on the Freiberg Temple grounds, 18 March 1997, and Thomas S. Monson, Faith Rewarded (1996), 105, as compiled in Boone and Cowan, "The Freiberg Germany Temple: A Latter-day Miracle"
Sources & References
David F. Boone and Richard O. Cowan, "The Freiberg Germany Temple: A Latter-day Miracle," in Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Europe (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, BYU, 2003), 147-67 - https://rsc.byu.edu/regional-studies-latter-day-saint-church-history-europe/freiberg-germany-temple ORIGINAL PRIMARY SOURCES behind the chapter's temple miracles: - Thomas S. Monson, Faith Rewarded: A Personal Account of Prophetic Promises to the East German Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996) — President Monson's firsthand book: his 1975 petitionary prayer that God would "open up the way" for the East German Saints to receive temple blessings (p. 36), carrying the first temple drawings across the border in Brother Jorgensen's briefcase, 10 February 1979 (pp. 53-54), the April 1983 groundbreaking at which atheist government officials bowed their heads for the dedicatory prayer (pp. 88-91), the open house as "a direct fulfillment and response" of his 1975 prayer that God would "instill within the citizenry a curiosity concerning the Church" (p. 103), and his dedication-week journal, "the greatest day in my life, a day I have prayed for fourteen years" (pp. 104-5). - Henry Burkhardt (J. Henry Burkhardt), address in the baptismal room of the Freiberg Ward Chapel on the temple grounds, 18 March 1997 (typescript translation) — the firsthand account of the government's completely unexpected 1978 invitation to build a temple in the GDR, the fasting and prayer that confirmed Freiberg as the site ("the Lord gave us the answer that Freiberg was a wonderful place for an endowment house"), the token-price land purchase, and his testimony that he recognized "Heavenly Father's hand" at work, with whose help "the impossible becomes reality." - Thomas S. Monson, "Thanks Be to God," April 1989 General Conference (Conference Report, April 1989, 66-69) - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1989/04/thanks-be-to-god?lang=eng — Monson's own retelling of his 1968 promise to the Gorlitz Saints, the temple's impact ("Our home teaching is somewhat down because everyone is in the temple!"), and the 1989 return of missionaries as fulfillment of Isaiah 9:2. - Phillip J. Bryson, "Background on the Temple in the German Democratic Republic: An Eyewitness Account," remarks at Brigham Young University, 3 and 9 July 1985 (transcript) — the eyewitness account of the construction miracles: government permits expedited while the Frankfurt temple stalled, workmen pulled from a badly needed housing project, their alcohol-free apple-juice celebration ("the greatest ceremony of that type" one worker had ever attended) and changed demeanor on the job, and the open-house crowds who willingly stood in line up to four hours in the rain. - James H. Backman, "The Two German Temples—Legal Background," paper presented at the Mormon History Association conference, England, July 1987 — the legal history behind the GDR official's stunning 1978 question ("You have made it abundantly clear why it is important for your people to attend a temple, but what we do not understand is why your church does not build a temple right here") and the property arrangements. - Gunther Behncke, oral history interview by Matthew K. Heiss, 20 October 1991, James Moyle Oral History Program, Church Archives — his report to communist officials on why thousands of atheist citizens stood in line to see the temple, and State Secretary Klaus Gysi's reasoning that a church promoting lifelong marriage should be allowed to build one. - Paul L. Anderson, "New Temples in the Old Country: Adapting Mormon Architecture for a European Setting," Mormon History Association conference, Aalborg, Denmark, 1 July 2000 — the finding of the superb Czech crystal chandelier, exactly the type and size wanted, at the Leipzig products fair. - Sheri L. Dew, Go Forward with Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996), 417-20 — President Hinckley's dedication-week reflections ("It touched me to the depths of my soul..."). - Contemporary coverage: Church News, 9 October 1982, 2 (temple announcement); Church News, 9 June 1985, 3 (Limex contract, workmanship); Church News, 14 July 1985, 12 (cornerstone ceremony and seven dedication sessions). - Background: Garold N. Davis and Norma S. Davis, Behind the Iron Curtain: Recollections of Latter-day Saints in East Germany, 1945-1989 (Provo, Utah: BYU Press, 1996); Lois Decker Brown, "Brief Mission, Constant Harvest," Ensign, August 1995, 46-50 - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1995/08/brief-mission-constant-harvest?lang=eng; Paul VanDenBerghe, "A Foundation of Strength in Germany," Ensign, August 2000, 48 - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2000/08/a-foundation-of-strength-in-germany?lang=eng; "President Thomas S. Monson and the East German Latter-day Saints," Church News, 3 January 2018 - https://www.thechurchnews.com/2018/1/3/23213349/president-thomas-s-monson-and-the-east-german-latter-day-saints/; Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Thomas S. Monson, "The Life and Ministry of Thomas S. Monson" - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-thomas-s-monson/the-life-and-ministry-of-thomas-s-monson?lang=eng
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