Date : approx. between 1220 and 1230
| Nicolaiviertel
Item 16 on 19
Quarter(s)
Streets, avenues, places... (Streets)
Area related
Berlin (Germany)
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The Nikolaikirche is the oldest church in Berlin. The church is located in the eastern part of central Berlin, the borough of Mitte. The area around the church, bounded by Spandauer Straße, Rathausstraße, the River Spree and Mühlendamm, is known as the Nikolaiviertel, and is an area of restored mediaeval buildings (in some cases recent imitations). The church was built between 1220 and 1230, and is thus, along with the Marienkirche at Alexanderplatz not far away, the oldest church in Berlin.
Originally a Roman Catholic church, the Nikolaikirche became a Lutheran church after the Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century, the prominent hymn-writer Paul Gerhardt was the minister of this church, and the composer Johann Crueger was musical director. The prominent Lutheran theologian Philipp Jacob Spener was the minister of Nikolaikirche from 1691 to 1705. From 1913 to 1923 the minister at the Nikolaikirche was Dr Wilhelm Wessel, whose son Horst Wessel was later a prominent Nazi : the family lived in the nearby Jüdenstraße.
The Nikolaikirche as seen today is largely a reconstruction, since the original church was reduced to a burnt-out shell by Allied bombing during World War II. Three plaques recall the church's history and destruction. After the war the ruins were in East Berlin, and it was not until 1981 that the German Democratic Republic authorities authorised the rebuilding of the church, using old designs and plans. Today the church serves mainly as a concert venue and museum. It is renowned for its acoustics and the rebuilt church has been equipped with a fine set of 41 bells.
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