St. Mary’s Church, Stralsund

St. Mary's Church, Stralsund tickets: which one to buy

Saint Mary's Church stands on the New Market in Stralsund, a Hanseatic town on Germany's Baltic coast, and a small admission is charged for visitors, with an extra fee for climbing the tower. The tower's viewing platform, reached by a long and steep climb of about 350 steps, the last part on wooden ladders, gives views over the old town, the harbour, the Strelasund strait and the island of Rugen.

Stralsund's old town, together with that of Wismar, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and walking tours combine Saint Mary's with the Town Hall, Saint Nicholas Church, the Ozeaneum aquarium on the harbour and the Gorch Fock sailing ship. Stralsund is the gateway to the island of Rugen, with its chalk cliffs and seaside resorts. The church hosts organ concerts in summer. The tower entrance is inside the church, and the last climb is usually an hour before closing.

Visiting St. Mary's Church, Stralsund: what to see

The church was built in the Brick Gothic style from the late fourteenth to the fifteenth century, and its huge westwork tower, originally topped with a tall spire, made it for a time the tallest building in the world, until the spire was destroyed by lightning in 1647. The present baroque cap, added later, gives the tower a height of about 104 metres. The church is one of the largest brick churches in the Baltic region. Inside, the nave is tall and bright, with white walls. The most important treasure is the great organ, built by Friedrich Stellwagen between 1653 and 1659, one of the most important baroque organs in northern Europe, with a richly decorated case.

The church also holds a baptismal font and memorials. During the Swedish period, when Stralsund belonged to Sweden, the church was used for Swedish services. The tower's upper chambers hold old bells and the wooden structure of the spire. A model of the church and old photographs are displayed near the entrance. The nave's vaults were restored in recent decades, revealing traces of medieval painting. Memorial slabs of Stralsund families are set into the floor. The church's chapels once belonged to guilds and merchants. The organ is played at concerts in summer, and its case shows carved angels and musical instruments.

St. Mary's Church, Stralsund opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily, with longer hours in summer; the tower closes in bad weather and in winter. Stralsund is busiest in summer, especially during the Wallenstein Days festival in July, which recreates the siege of 1628 with costumed parades, and when cruise ships and sailing events bring visitors. The Christmas market fills the Old Market in December.

The Baltic coast can be windy and cool even in summer. Organ concerts are held on summer evenings. Allow about half an hour for the church and about forty-five minutes for the tower climb, and walk to the harbour and the Ozeaneum afterwards. The Ozeaneum, a modern aquarium and museum of the Baltic and North Sea, is about fifteen minutes' walk on the harbour.