Marienkirche, Frankfurt

The Marienkirche stands in Frankfurt (Oder), a Protestant church built in Brick Gothic style over more than two hundred and fifty years. It began in 1253, soon after the town itself, and grew through the Middle Ages into one of the largest brick churches in Germany. The nave now measures seventy-seven metres long and twenty-five metres wide, with a tower that once reached fourteen storeys. Gothic windows, a sacristy added for Viadrina University in the 16th century, and twin towers with crenellations mark its medieval grandeur. The church’s stained glass windows tell stories from Genesis to Revelation in 117 panels, each eighty-three by forty-three centimetres. These windows were moved for safety in 1941, photographed, then taken to Potsdam and later to Saint Petersburg. After decades of negotiation, the first window returned in 2005 and the last pieces were reinstalled by 2009. Karl Friedrich Schinkel rebuilt the south tower in 1826, and Emil Flaminius carried out his plans. In 1945 the church burned completely, yet the parish restored the sacristy and nave by 1958. Inside, visitors find the late 14th-century bronze font and candlesticks, the 1489 Marienaltar, and many tomb monuments moved here from the ruins. The north tower’s original coloured façade was recovered from pigments and restored. The sacristy and Martyrchor now serve the congregation, while the nave and chancel roofs shelter concerts and services. The west door opens onto a stretch of historic granite paving laid with stones donated by local people.