St. Nikolai, Greifswald

St. Nikolai stands in the western part of Greifswald’s old town. Built of brick in the Brick Gothic style, it is a hall church with a nave and two aisles. The first records of a church here date from 1263, though the oldest parts visible today come from the late 13th century. The tower’s foundations were laid early, and by 1362 the church already had its first organ. In 1385 work began on a new choir, finished a decade later. When the University of Greifswald was founded in 1457, St. Nikolai became a collegiate church under Bishop Henning Iven. The church has twice lost its spire to storms, first in 1515 and again in 1650. The second collapse destroyed much of the building, but swift donations from citizens, nearby towns and Queen Christina of Sweden allowed rebuilding to start within a month. By 1652 a new Baroque spire stood in place, modelled on towers in Stralsund and the Netherlands. In the 19th century architect Gottlieb Giese oversaw a full redecoration, including a new choir wall and organ loft. After the Second World War the church became the seat of the Pomeranian Evangelical Church’s bishops. Inside, the sandstone-coloured walls and eight pairs of pillars support vaulted ceilings. The floor is largely covered with tombstones, the oldest from the 14th century. A wooden gallery sits on the west wall, and fragments of medieval frescoes remain on the side walls. The choir wall is richly decorated, and a new altar and crucifix were added in the 1980s. The tower rises to nearly 100 metres, and 264 steps lead to a panorama platform 60 metres up. The organ, rebuilt in 1988, uses the original 1832 case. Two 16th-century epitaphs and 29 memorials to priests recall the church’s long history.