Kreuzflügel

Kreuzflügel is a German architectural term that designates a wing of a building that, together with the central block and other wings, forms a cross-shaped floor plan. The term is typically used in descriptions of churches, monasteries, and palatial complexes built in the Renaissance, Baroque and later periods, where the arrangement of multiple projecting wings creates a plan that resembles a cross when viewed from above. The central mass is often longer along one axis, with shorter perpendicular wings projecting to the sides, but the exact proportions vary.

Etymology and usage: The word combines Kreuz (cross) and Flügel (wing). In English-language architectural literature, the feature is usually called a cruciform wing and is discussed in the context of cruciform floor plans. The Kreuzflügel is a structural and stylistic element rather than a purely decorative feature; its presence often reflects an intention to emphasize axial symmetry, ceremonial routes, or liturgical processions in religious buildings, or to create grand procession axes in secular palaces.

Related terms: cruciform; Kreuzgang (cloister); Kreuzkirche (church with a cruciform plan).