St. Nikolai Church

At the southern end of Hamburg stands the remains of the impregnable St. Nikolai church. The gothic style church was built in the 19th century at which time it was an architectural masterpiece. St. Nikolai is one of the few remaining landmarks from prewar Hamburg. After heavy raids by Allied forces in 1943, St. Nikolai was virtually the only structure left standing in the city center. The church was left blackened with soot and partially destroyed. The ruins were left standing in order to serve as a memorial to the victims of persecution in the Third Reich. While visiting Hamburg, you’ll be hard pressed not to visit St. Nikolai whose spiral reaches towards the heavens. The site is gloomy, but interesting. You may be intrigued enough to spend a ½ hour or so exploring the ruins.