St. Nicholas Church

The St. Nicholas Church is one of the main churches in Flensburg. It is directly adjacent to the Südermarkt and thus forms the urban center of the youngest of the four historical settlement cores of Flensburg.

The Gothic hall church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The church space is a three-nave stepped hall, the construction of which began around 1390 and was continued to the east around 1440 – over a predecessor building that had been established before the year 1332. The building is 52 meters long and 21 meters wide, facing east. The side naves are separated from the central structure by six pairs of powerful round brick pillars that guide the gaze toward the altar. To the observer, it initially appears as if there is a transept before the steps of the altar space, but in reality, only the distances between the pillars increase. The four rear vault bays are shorter than the later ones. Above the altar space and the open area in front of its steps, the vault is nearly square; the last bay is shortened again. The ridge of the structure is at a height of 40 meters. The church tower, at 90 meters, is one of the tallest in Schleswig-Holstein and the tallest in the city of Flensburg. The neo-Gothic tower structure was built after the old Gothic tower top was destroyed by lightning in 1878. Since 1878, three steel bells from the Bochumer Verein have been located in the tower, replacing the bells from 1871 that were melted in a tower fire. Additionally, since 1909, there has been a carillon of 17 bells in the tower, which were cast at M & O Ohlsson in Lübeck. According to legend, the church bells of St. Nicholas "call the mayor and council." The Flensburg City Hall is very close by.

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