Being the main Protestant church in the city (Hamburg), the Church of St. Michael for more than three hundred years (with short interruptions for restoration) daily opens the doors to parishioners and fascinates with its external appearance of tourists. Indeed, such a beautiful and at the same time slightly gloomy architectural creation evokes certain thoughts.
The church is visible from the seaport and many areas of the city, since its bell tower, which is also a symbol of Hamburg, is located at a high altitude. The Church of St. Michael, popularly referred to as the "Big Michel", is the main attraction of the city, which is of particular value to the whole country.
Hamburg Church of St. Michael: History
From 1648 to 1669, the first temple was erected by Christoph Corbinus and Peter Markardt. It was the church of St. Michael, but not the one that stands on this site today. It was a large three-nave temple, a beautiful building, which was not destined to stand for a long time - in the middle of the XVIII century it completely burned out. The reason for this was lightning. The bell tower collapsed, only ruins remained of the church.
A year later (in 1751), a new temple began to be built in the same place. Design was done by Ernst Georg Zonnin and Johann Leonard Preah. Fifteen years after the beginning of the construction of the church, it was crowned with a bright and elegant turret and opened. Hamburgers nicknamed the temple Michel, as they say to this day.
But cruel trials do not end there. In 1906, when restoration work was carried out, a fire broke out, as a result of which the main symbol of the city (Hamburg) - the Church of St. Michael, lost a beautiful tower and was badly damaged, only walls remained.
This time, the restoration of the temple caused a lot of controversy. This is not surprising, because the difficulties that fell to the lot of “Big Michel” did not leave anyone without attention. Instead of a temple to the archangel, architects and influential figures insisted on the construction of another church, not in the late Baroque style, but in the most relevant to the 20th century. But their plans were not destined to come true: the Hamburgers loved the sight of their city so much and were so proud of it that they insisted on rebuilding the church in honor of Mikhail.
It is noteworthy that the third building of the temple was built according to the same drawings as the previous ones, but the architects used modern materials and construction technologies. By 1906, the Church of St. Michael (Hamburg) was ready. The most successful decision of architects was construction with a reinforced concrete structure. It was thanks to her that the third architectural creation dedicated to the archangel survived during the fierce battles during the Second World War, even though Hamburg was then subjected to powerful bombardments.
The architectural style and appearance of the church
The building was erected in the late Baroque style. The length of the church is about 71 m, the width is 51 m, and the height of the nave is 27 m. Red brick was chosen as the facing material. To create decorative elements used limestone.
The main distinguishing feature of the temple is a huge statue of the Archangel Michael, holding a spear in his hands, the end of which pierces the devil. It is made of bronze and is installed above the main entrance, and therefore is clearly visible to visitors.
Visiting Hamburg, the church of St. Michael, it is worth paying attention to the bell tower. It is crowned with the largest watch in Germany, trimmed with gold, which shimmers at any time of the day. There is also an observation deck that opens up a beautiful cityscape.
Interior and decoration of the church of the Archangel Michael
Inside the church is what any baroque-style building is supposed to be - rich and very beautiful. Interior decoration is a very impressive sight: here is an altar of 20 m in size, created from marble, and biblical paintings, and a relief depicting the Last Supper, made of bronze. St. Michael's Church in Hamburg is a restrained but elegant architectural creation. It becomes clear why the Hamburgers so defended their attraction.
Church of St. Michael today
Today, the temple not only looks beautiful and is completely restored, it remains operational. Services are held here, a church orchestra performs with an organ whose sounds become even more “strong” in all respects thanks to acoustics. By the way, it is unique here, it is hardly possible to find the same powerful echoes anywhere else.
If you are going to see Hamburg, the church of St. Michael, it is worth considering that you can visit it only after the service. Tourists are allowed to climb to the observation deck to take a look at the surroundings.
From the end of autumn until mid-spring it works from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and in the warm season from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. As with visiting other churches, you need to follow the dress code: no T-shirts, shorts and short skirts.
Address of the Church of the Archangel Michael
Exact location: Englische Planke 1, 20459, Hamburg, Germany. Half a kilometer from the church there are Baumwall and Rödingsmarkt metro stations, and at a distance of 600 m - St. Pauli
St. Michael's Church, Hamburg: reviews
Visiting this German city, you must definitely look into the temple in honor of the archangel. Not only because the church is one of the main attractions of Hamburg and its symbol. The architectural appearance, the interior and, of course, the observation deck at the top - all this deserves the attention of a tourist.
St. Michael's Church (Hamburg), according to travelers, will leave a lasting impression in the soul. This majestic building, so serious on the outside and gentle on the inside, is the best place on earth for exploring the late Baroque and true German motifs. Many tourists set themselves the goal of first visiting this temple, and after they visit it, they recommend it to other vacationers.