St. Nicholas Church, Stralsund

St. Nicholas Church, Stralsund tickets: which one to buy

Saint Nicholas Church stands on the Old Market in Stralsund, beside the Gothic Town Hall, and a small admission is charged for visitors. It is the oldest of Stralsund's three great parish churches and the town council's church, and it holds some of the richest medieval church furnishings on the Baltic coast. A passage through the Town Hall leads directly to the church entrance.

Walking tours of Stralsund's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, combine Saint Nicholas with the Town Hall, Saint Mary's Church, the harbour and the Stralsund Museum. Stralsund is about three hours from Berlin by train and is the gateway to the island of Rugen. Guided tours of the church are offered, and the interior's many chapels reward a slow visit. Concerts are held on summer evenings. Guided tours of the church in German are offered daily in summer, and English tours can be arranged.

Visiting St. Nicholas Church, Stralsund: what to see

The church was built from 1270 in the Brick Gothic style, modelled on Saint Mary's in Lubeck, and it was completed in the fourteenth century with two western towers, one of which has a baroque cap and the other a smaller spire. The church was the church of the town council, and its interior reflects the wealth of Stralsund's merchants and guilds. The chapels along the nave were funded by guilds and families, and they hold altars, carvings and paintings. The treasures include a carved high altar from the fifteenth century, a painted pillar decoration, the altar of the Novgorod traders, showing Russian merchants, a large astronomical clock from 1394, among the oldest in Europe, and the Bergen travellers' altar.

The pillars and vaults retain their medieval painted decoration. A baroque organ stands in the west gallery. The Novgorod traders' altar shows Russian merchants in fur hats and coats, a rare medieval depiction of trade with Russia. The astronomical clock's dial shows the zodiac and the calendar. The church's carved choir stalls include figures of merchants and saints. Painted decorations on the pillars show figures and patterns in red and green. The baroque high altar, designed by Andreas Schluter, rises high above the choir. The church's side chapels hold epitaphs and paintings of Stralsund families. The church was also used by the Swedish governors of Pomerania.

St. Nicholas Church, Stralsund opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily, with longer hours in summer and shorter ones in winter; visiting is limited during services. Stralsund is busy in summer, particularly during the Wallenstein Days in July, and the Old Market hosts events. The Christmas market is held on the Old Market in December. The Baltic coast is often windy. Mornings are the best time for a quiet visit. Allow about forty-five minutes for Saint Nicholas, and combine it with the Town Hall courtyard and Saint Mary's Church. The Stralsund Museum, in a former convent, displays the Hiddensee gold treasure of Viking jewellery.