St. Nikolai (Hamburg-Harvestehude)

St. Nikolai stands in Hamburg-Harvestehude beside the Harvestehuder Weg near the Klosterstern. The church replaced the ruined 19th-century St. Nikolai in the city centre after the Second World War. Its round design with a tall tower was created by architects Dieter and Gerhard Langmaack. The tower reaches 89 metres and is the seventh tallest in Hamburg. The building measures about 40 metres in length and 35 metres in width. It is considered one of the most important post-war sacred structures in the city. The church holds art and furnishings that link it to the old St. Nikolai. The altar mosaic Ecce Homines was designed by Oskar Kokoschka and made by Sergio Cicognani in 1974. A bronze crucifix and three reliefs on the pulpit were sculpted by Fritz Fleer. The west door shows scenes from the life of St. Nicholas. The baptistery contains a window by Elisabeth Coester finished in 1939 but installed later. Stones from the old church’s ruins form the font altar and include a torso of Christ and a statue of Archbishop Ansgar. Inside, the main organ sits on the right gallery. Its ship-like case was designed by Gerhard Langmaack and built by Willi Peter in 1966. After a full restoration by Johannes Klais from 2019 to 2023, the organ now has 101 stops and 7,279 pipes. A second mobile console allows five manuals to be played. The baptistery has its own mechanical organ with 11 stops. Five bronze bells hang in the tower, cast from metal of the old church’s bells.