St. Nicholas' Church

Berlin, Germany

The St. Nikolai-Kirche, (St. Nicholas' Church) is the oldest church in Berlin. The area around the church is known as the 'Nicholas quarter', and is an area of restored mediaeval buildings. The church was built between 1220 and 1230, and is thus, along with the Church of Our Lady at Alexanderplatz not far away, the oldest church in Berlin.

Originally a Roman Catholic church, the Church of St. Nicholas became a Lutheran church after the Protestant Reformation in the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1539. In the 17th century, the prominent hymn-writer Paul Gerhardt was the minister of this church, and the composer Johann Crueger was musical director. The prominent Lutheran theologian Provost Philipp Jacob Spener was the minister from 1691 to 1705. From 1913 to 1923 the minister at the Church of St. Nicholas was Wilhelm Wessel, whose son Horst Wessel later became famous as a Nazi: the family lived in the nearby Jüdenstraße.

On Reformation Day in 1938 the church building served its congregation for the last time. Then the building, the oldest structure in Berlin proper, was given up to the government, to be used as a concert hall and ecclesiastical museum. The number of parishioners had shrunk due to the ever intensifying commercialisation of the inner city with residential premises being superseded by offices and shops. The congregation later merged with that of the Church of Our Lady.

During World War II the Church of St. Nicholas lost by fire the tops of its towers and the roof as a result of Allied bombing. In 1949 all the vaults and the northern pillars collapsed. The ruins were in East Berlin, and it was not until 1981 that the East German Democratic Republic authorities authorised the rebuilding of the church, using old designs and plans. The Church of St. Nicholas as seen today is largely a reconstruction. Today the church serves again mainly as a museum and occasionally as a concert venue, administered by the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin (Landesmuseum für Kultur und Geschichte Berlins). It is renowned for its acoustics and the rebuilt church has been equipped with a fine set of 41 bells.

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Details

Founded: 1220-1230
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Iza Bel (7 months ago)
Extremely kind lady at the Ticket office. Beautiful museum. Excellent customer service.
Constanza del Sol Ferreyra (9 months ago)
The church is absolutely beautiful, I didn’t know anything about it and I learned a lot. The exhibition is well put together, and everything is very well maintained. I would recommend brining headphones and a wire to connect them to the audio guide, which is very useful and very well made, but even if you don’t you can listen by putting it to your ear (that’s what I did). The people that work there are very kind, they explained everything and they speak Spanish and English (probably other languages as well?). There is also currently a vintage toy exhibition that is just wonderful, I’m not sure until when it will be there. All in all a great experience, well worth the €7 for me (there’s a discount for students I believe). Thank you!
Bogdan Marcelan (13 months ago)
The Nikolaikirche has been a landmark of Berlin's city center for more than 800 years. The basement floors of the twin building, which are made of natural stone, are considered to be the oldest existing spaces in Berlin. During the Second World War, a bomb attack completely destroyed the church. It remained in ruins until the restoration began in 1984, which lasted more than 25 years. A very beautiful and important church.
KiNG HarOoN (15 months ago)
I didn't go inside the museum. Because the time had passed. But it looks good from the outside.
Alessandro Stefan (17 months ago)
Loved how well preserve they have this place. First thing, if you're student, you'll get a discount. The place is not very big, but there are some things you can spend your time while in here. On the second floor you'll have a great view of the place. Also they have a couple of sets of headphones you can use to listen to music that normally was played here. They also have a coin/token collection which is really amazing how preserved they are. If you're interested in religious history this is a great place to have a look.
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