St. Nicholas’ Church

The Gothic Revival Church of St. Nicholas was formerly one of the five Lutheran Hauptkirchen in the city of Hamburg. Bombing of Hamburg in World War II destroyed the bulk of the church and its rubble was removed leaving its crypt, its site and tall spired tower, largely hollow, save for a large set of bells, together serving as a memorial and an important architectural landmark. The church was the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876 and is the second-tallest structure in Hamburg. Since 2005, an elevator has been installed to a 75.3 metre-high platform. The current condition of the Church of St. Nicholas is the result of the bombing of Hamburg in World War II, removal of its ruinous walls and rubble in 1951 and restoration work of the tower in the 1990s and 2012. Rescue St. Nicholas’s Church Foundation – works to restore further the tower and improve its memorial role, supported by the city of Hamburg, the congregation of the Hauptkirche and various corporate sponsors and private contributors. The organization is charged with maintaining the building’s existing structure, restoration, arranging events and displays in the church, and operating an information center housed in the church’s crypt.