This amazing temple with a difficult fate, currently in ruins, is a World War II memorial. The religious monument has become a place of pilgrimage for millions of tourists paying tribute to the memory of its victims. One of the main attractions of the city, seriously damaged in 1943, makes a shocking impression.
A bit of history
The first building of St. Nicholas Church in Hamburg appeared in 1195. The wooden building, erected in honor of the patron saint of all travelers and sailors, stood until the middle of the 13th century. It was a small chapel where fishermen going out to sea lit candles and prayed for a good catch.
Later it was rebuilt, and before the eyes of the parishioners appeared a spacious brick building, made in the so-called hall style, in which the side and central naves have the same height. And soon a bell tower with a sharp spire appeared on the 22-meter building. The Church Made Realpride of the city, attracted many merchants from Europe who came to see with their own eyes an amazing architectural miracle that accommodated more than one and a half thousand parishioners.
In 1842, the St. Nicholas Church in Hamburg burned down, and in its place began the construction of a new religious monument in the neo-Gothic style. The English architect D. G. Scott was engaged in the project. The work progressed rather slowly, but the new building, which was different from the rest of the churches, made a huge impression on the townspeople. In 1863, it opened its doors to parishioners, and the bell tower, more than 147 meters high, was completed for another 17 years. And at that time the tower was the tallest building in the world.
Description of the new temple
The iconic building, made of yellow brick and adorned with intricate sandstone sculptures, was admired. The height of the vaults of the Church of St. Nicholas in Hamburg reached 28 meters, and the windows with stained-glass windows with scenes from the life of Jesus Christ - 19 meters.
Powerful slender columns connected with lancet arches, which was a sign of early Gothic architecture. The interior of the temple was richly decorated, and the main value was the sculptures of 12 apostles that decorated the choir - an open gallery where the singing staff was located.
Due to its architecture, the majestic-looking St. Nicholas Church in Hamburg, whose history is covered in the article, has been recognized as one of the best examples of the Middle Ages.
Church turned into ruins
In 1943, Anglo-American troops bombed the city, and during one bombardment, the temple was almost completely destroyed. Only the framework of the central nave and the high tower, which was a landmark for air raids, have survived. The Church of St. Nicholas in Hamburg continued to deteriorate as no work was undertaken to restore it.
The authorities considered it unsafe to repair the temple, nicknamed by the locals "burnt" for its black color left by flames, and in 1962 the church community moved to the Harvestehud area.
Memorial to the victims of war
In the 80s of the last century, a fund for the salvation of the Church of St. Nicholas in Hamburg was created. The collected funds are being used to reconstruct the tower, as a result of which it has become safe for visiting guests of the city, and the bell tower, 147.3 meters high, is declared a national monument. In 1993, the temple was turned into a memorial, and bells were installed at its very top.
The city landmark consists of the surviving tower and the ruins of the church. The ruins serve as a reminder of the aftermath of the largest armed conflict in human history. The dark silhouette of the symbol of the horrors of a terrible war is adjacent to gloomy sculptures telling about the greatest tragedy, loss and despair, pain and fear.
The most concise monument of World War II
In the basement there is a museum of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Hamburg. It presents a rich collection of materials that tell about the difficult historytemple and its destruction. And also, each guest will be able to visit the permanent exhibition called "Gomorrah 1943", dedicated to the destruction of not only the church, but the entire city after the bombing.
A carillon is installed on the tower - a mechanical device containing more than 50 bells. And in 1993, a melodic bell sounded, evoking a feeling of grace.
At an altitude of about 75 meters there is an observation deck with stunning views of the city. Tourists are taken to the top of the tower by a special glass-walled elevator launched 13 years ago, and the roofs of Hamburg are at their feet.
Sculptures by the German artist E. Brekvoldt, reflecting the pain of loss, are installed on the territory of the memorial. A mother praying for her child, a heartbroken man sitting on the ruins, and a naked female figure rising from the ashes with her right hand raised are a reminder that people should not forget the tragedy that happened more than 75 years ago.
Restoration work
Currently, the Church of St. Nicholas in Hamburg is the second tallest building in the city (after the television tower) and the fourth in the world. In March last year, work on the restoration of the memorial was completed, which lasted several years.
A huge stone weighing about 10 tons fell onto the pavement from the masonry of the bell tower, and only by a lucky chance there were no casu alties. The city authorities drew attention to the "age" building requiring urgent repairs. More than 15 million euros have been spent on the work that has already been completed, and now the memorial is opening a new page in its history.
Where is the memorial and its opening hours
Commemorative symbol of the Second World War can be found in the Old Town (Altstadt) - the oldest part of Hamburg, which is a favorite place for tourists, 700 meters from the Town Hall Square. Its address is Willy-Brandt-Straße 60. The city landmark is located next to the Rödingsmarkt metro station (line U3).
The memorial complex is open daily from 10.00 to 17.00 (until 18.00 in summer). You can visit it for free, but in order to climb the observation deck, you will have to buy a ticket worth 5 euros / 325 rubles.
Visitor reviews
Despite the black tint, the sophistication of the architecture of St. Nicholas Church in Hamburg has not disappeared. The gothic spire with a golden cross, directed to the sky, attracts the attention of tourists, whose imagination plays out at the sight of the soot-dark bulk of the tower.
Someone imagines a huge fish bone gnawed by an unknown monster, and the traces of the fire only increase the gloom of the ruins, warning of the danger of armed conflicts. And someone sees in the middle of a picturesque garden a black cemetery cross of a unique memorial dedicated to those who innocently burned in the fire of war.
Wartime ruins, according to tourists, areemotional reminder of the tragedy. The memorial complex is a look at the war from the side of those who unleashed it and then lost it. I would like to believe that humanity has learned to learn from the past.
