ðə tˈɜːm wʌz ɪnvˈɛntᵻd baɪ ˈɑːɹt hɪstˈoːɹiən kˈɜːt dʒˈɜːstənbˌɜːɡ ɪn hɪz nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːtiːn wˈɜːk dˈɔɪtʃ sˈɑːndɚɡˌɑːɾɪk, ɪnwˌɪtʃ hiː ˈɑːɹɡjuːd ðætðə lˈeɪt ɡˈɑːθɪk hæd ɐ spˈɛʃəl ɛkspɹˈɛʃən ɪn dʒˈɜːməni ɪspˈɛʃəli ðə sˈaʊθ ænd ðə ɹˈaɪnlənd mˈɑːɹkt baɪ ðə jˈuːs ʌvðə hˈɔːl tʃˈɜːtʃ ɔːɹ hˈæləŋkˌɜːtʃ.
The term was invented by art historian Kurt Gerstenberg in his 1913 work Deutsche Sondergotik, in which he argued that the Late Gothic had  a special expression in Germany (especially the South and the Rhineland) marked by the use of the hall church or Hallenkirche.