Nikolaikirche

The Nikolaikirche stands in the heart of Flensburg, beside the Südermarkt square. Built as a Gothic hall church, it was begun around 1390 and enlarged eastwards by 1440 over an earlier 14th-century predecessor. The church is 52 metres long and 21 metres wide, its brick piers guiding the eye to the altar. The tower reaches 90 metres, one of the tallest in Schleswig-Holstein, rebuilt after a lightning strike in 1878. Inside, white paint from the 1950s covers earlier medieval murals, and damp has caused damage along the deeply buried north wall. Its furnishings include a 1749 Baroque-Rococo altar with scenes of the Resurrection and the Last Supper, flanked by life-size figures of Faith and Hope. A bronze font from the late 15th century shares its design with similar pieces in nearby churches. The church’s fame rests on its double organ, a unique arrangement of two historic instruments. The Schnitger organ, rebuilt to its 1709 state, has mechanical action and three manuals. Behind it stands the Symphonic organ with four manuals and a remote choir loft above the chancel, played from a detached console on the singers’ gallery. Visitors enter beneath the tower and walk the length of the nave, where the brick piers rise to a vault 40 metres high. The restored Renaissance organ case shows paintings of Christ and angels, and the royal arms of Christian IV. The choir loft holds both organs, their pipes visible in the elaborate Renaissance casing. Above the altar, the remote loft’s sound emerges through openings on the right, blending with the main organ’s tones. The church’s place on the European Route of Brick Gothic draws admirers of medieval craftsmanship and musical heritage alike.