Among Germany’s cities with over a million residents, Munich is generally considered the most stuffy. We don’t see much merit in this prejudice (though we may be just a tiny bit biased)—after all, Munich used to be home to the largest party district in all of Europe and even once had a “Shark Disco”! Another example that contradicts Munich’s stuffy reputation is the case of Timofej Vasilievich Prokhorov. Known as “Little Father Timofej , ” he lived with his wife in a hermitage on Oberwiesenfeld that he had built himself without a building permit. Now his house is even a listed historic building.
A Russian hermit takes on the German authorities
Father Timofey came to Munich in 1952 and settled with his wife, Natascha, on the outskirts of the old airfield at Oberwiesenfeld. The pile of rubble there served as a source of building materials, from which Father Timofey built a house and even a church. According to his own account, Timofej had a vision during the war in which he was given the mission to move west and build a church. After failing to obtain the necessary permits in Vienna, he carried out his mission in Munich—without a building permit.
This is how the East-West Peace Church came to be, a church in which neither the Catholics nor the Orthodox showed any interest. So “Father Timofey” himself celebrated the liturgy in the church, whose ceiling he had “silvered” with chocolate wrappers. Later, he built a chapel in his house, which he decorated in a similar way. Despite the fact that it was built without a permit, the Munich authorities initially tolerated the hermitage .
However, when preparations for the Olympic Games began, the authorities wanted to evict the couple from Oberwiesenfeld. The individual ski jumping event was to be held at that location. Following protests from the public, the event was ultimately moved to Riem. The Olympic Park was built around Father Timofey’s home during this time, and he continued to live there until his death in 2004.
The Legacy of Father Timofey
Munich’s city history has seen quite a few unique personalities who have made the city what it is today. Just think of the eccentric designer Rudolph Moshammer or the curious Hotpants Twins. “Little Father” Timofej also belonged to this group, a fact that has now even been recognized by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments.
In June 2026, the hermitage in the Olympic Park was designated a historic landmark. As part of this effort, the East-West Peace Church—which burned down completely in 2023— is also set to be rebuilt starting next spring. In 2014, the buildings here had already received a retroactive building permit. With this new historic preservation status, the uniqueness of the site— which General Conservator Mathias Pfeil described as a “Gallic village” in the heart of Munich — is now finally being recognized. From Thursday through Sunday, you can visit Timofej’s Peace Garden for free, and even daily during the Tollwood Summer Festival.
📍 Location: Olympic Park
🕐 Open: Thursday through Sunday
💶 Price information: Free admission
