St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's, the chief parish church in Prenzlau, is a High Brick Gothic building with a three-aisled hall and three polythagonal chapels on the church's eastern site. St. Mary's dual towers dwarf the town; the legendary gables featuring elaborate tracery are worthy of a cathedral. Excavations have shown that this replaced an earlier church on the site (1235-1250), a vaulted three aisled hall church with a transept and an elongated right-angled ambulatory built from loose fieldstone.

The church was almost completely destroyed in April 1945, with a fire destroying all but the enclosure wall. However, the church's Arcardian pillars featuring rounded arches and (most importantly!) the ornate gables and elaborate tracery on the eastern side of the building survived the fire. Construction work aimed at rebuilding the church as been underway since 1970; the artistic decoration in the church's interior is currently being restored. Despite the ongoing work, the church is home to large concerts that bring together the architectural appreciation of the unique heritage site with the pleasure afforded by live music.

References:

• European Route of Brick Gothic

Address

Marktberg 25, Prenzlau, Germany

Details

Founded: 1235-1250
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)