Oscar Fredrik Church, Gothenburg, Sweden

Oscar Fredrik Church was drawn by Helgo Zetterwall and completed in 1893. It represents the neo-Gothic style, but the influence is not the Nordic gothic style but rather the style one can find in the large cathedrals down in continental Europe. The church and the parish got its name from king Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik being his full name).

The church has been refurbished three times: 1915, 1940 and 1974. The 1940 refurbishment took away the side galleries and the decorations on the arches and capitals were painted over. During the latest renovation in 1978 the pulpit was moved back to its original position (south side of the choir) and older wall paintings and decorations were brought back to light.

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User Reviews

Ely Matos (2 months ago)
Very beautiful church, great organ

saffa Dafalla (3 months ago)
Super nice and flexible with parking, they got an understanding with what it means when it crowded and people can’t find parking

Kelsey Reviews (4 months ago)
How is this place not more popular??! In 30 countries this is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen!

Elise M (7 months ago)
I didn’t go inside the church but the architecture from the outside is stunning! Definitely a must see if you’re in the area.

Emil Gustafsson (10 months ago)
We went there only to look at the building, and boy is it a beautiful one. I can't speak for the interior of the church, but I definitely recommend going if you just want to see a majestic building.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Guido Rudolph

Historic Site of the week

Lübeck Cathedral

Lübeck Cathedral is a large brick-built Lutheran cathedral in Lübeck, Germany and part of the Lübeck UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1173 Henry the Lion founded the cathedral to serve the Diocese of Lübeck, after the transfer in 1160 of the bishop's seat from Oldenburg in Holstein under bishop Gerold. The then Romanesque cathedral was completed around 1230, but between 1266 and 1335 it was converted into a Gothic-style building with side-aisles raised to the same height as the main aisle.

On the night of Palm Sunday (28–29 March) 1942 a Royal Air Force bombing raid destroyed a fifth of the town centre. Several bombs fell in the area around the church, causing the eastern vault of the quire to collapse and destroying the altar which dated from 1696. A fire from the neighbouring cathedral museum spread to the truss of the cathedral, and around noon on Palm Sunday the towers collapsed. An Arp Schnitger organ was lost in the flames. Nevertheless, a relatively large portion of the internal fittings was saved, including the cross and almost all of the medieval polyptychs. In 1946 a further collapse, of the gable of the north transept, destroyed the vestibule almost completely.

Reconstruction of the cathedral took several decades, as greater priority was given to the rebuilding of the Marienkirche. Work was completed only in 1982.

The cathedral is unique in that at 105 m, it is shorter than the tallest church in the city. This is the consequence of a power struggle between the church and the guilds.

The 17 m crucifix is the work of the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke. It was commissioned by the bishop of Lübeck, Albert II. Krummendiek, and erected in 1477. The carvings which decorate the rood screen are also by Notke.

Since the war, the famous altar of Hans Memling has been in the medieval collection of the St. Annen Museum, but notable polyptychs remain in the cathedral.

In the funeral chapels of the southern aisle are Baroque-era memorials by the Flemish sculptor Thomas Quellinus.

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