St. Nicholas Church, Greifswald, Germany

St. Nicholas Church (Greifswalder Dom St. Nikolai) is a Brick Gothic church located in the western part of the centre of Greifswald. The first written sources referring to a church dedicated to St. Nicholas in Greifswald are from 1263. The oldest extant parts of the church have been dated to the last third of the 13th century. In 1385 work was begun on a new choir with a straight eastern wall, which was finished in 1395.

In connection to the founding of the University of Greifswald, the church was raised to the status of collegiate church. The new status of the church also brought wealth, and in the same year construction began to make the tower higher. In the years 1480–1500, the octagonal upper part of the tower was built and with the addition of the also octagonal, c. 60 metres high Gothic spire at the beginning of the 16th century, the construction of the tower was finished. At the time, it reached a height of 120 metres.

The church lost its spire twice during severe storms. The first time was in 1515, when the top collapsed, apparently without causing any severe damage to the church building. It was not replaced until 1609. The collapse on 13 February 1650 initially destroyed the roof of the church, causing several of the vaults of the nave and southern aisle to collapse, and a few days later, the eastern wall of the church also collapsed. The interior furnishings of the church were completely destroyed. Immediately after the collapse, the council of the city called for donations for the reconstruction of the church. In 1651 the vaults and roof were rebuilt, and one year later the church tower received its new, Baroque spire.

The interior of the church was thoroughly renewed in 1823–1832.

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Yasser Ashfaq (8 months ago)
dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of seafarers and merchants, is a Brick Gothic church located in the western part of the centre of Greifswald. It was the main church and seat of the bishop of the Pomeranian Evangelical Church. The first written sources referring to a church dedicated to St. Nicholas in Greifswald are from 1263. The oldest extant parts of the church have been dated to the last third of the 13th century. The building of the church started with the erection of a single-nave choir, which was later incorporated in a hall church with two aisles and a nave of equal size. The foundations of the western tower were laid at the same time. The church was furnished with its first organ already in 1362. In 1385 work was begun on a new choir with a straight eastern wall, which was finished in 1395. The church lost its spire twice during severe storms. The first time was in 1515, when the top collapsed, apparently without causing any severe damage to the church building. It was not replaced until 1609. The collapse on 13 February 1650 initially destroyed the roof of the church, causing several of the vaults of the nave and southern aisle to collapse, and a few days later, the eastern wall of the church also collapsed. The interior of the church was thoroughly renewed in 1823–1832. The refurnishing was carried out to the designs by the Greifswald architect Gottlieb Giese. The church is constructed solely out of brick. It has the form of a basilica with a nave and two side-aisles. The nave is somewhat higher than the aisles; both the nave and the aisles walls have pointed, Gothic windows. The eastern wall has a trapezoid form and a richly articulated facade. The roof of the nave is made of copper, while the covering of the aisles are made of brick. The western tower has a height of 99.97 metres (328.0 ft). The square lower part of the tower is in its upper parts decorated with blind arcades. Very little remains of the medieval furnishings of the church. What remained of these after the destruction of 1650 was removed from the church at the latest in the 1790s. A medieval sculpture of Mary later came into the possession of the Catholic congregation in Stralsund. The large, Renaissance altarpiece was brought to a museum in Stralsund in 1876. Almost all the presently visible furnishings of the church date from the renovation an refurnishing of the church carried out in 1823–1832.

HelMa U (2 years ago)
The church itself is quite impressive, but the most interesting part is climbing up the tower to have a look above all Greifswald! The price is okay; 1,50€/3€! (I would recommend it to you and say that it's worth it!!)

Casper van Boggelen (2 years ago)
Nice church, one of the best places of Greifswald to visit. We were here for the Max Planck institution.

Tobias Jesche (2 years ago)
Really nice people, nice view and adventures climb :D (so be aware if you're afraid of stepping wooden narrow stairs) but view is very nice around Greifswald

Michael Karp (2 years ago)
Eine sehr schöne Kirche. Kann man immer besichtigen. Am meisten freue ich mich auf den 24.12.

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Heraclea Lyncestis was an ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

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