Große Orgel, Renaissance pipe organ in St. John's Church, Lüneburg, Germany
The Great Organ in St. John's Church is a large pipe instrument featuring three manuals with 51 stops in the main division, complemented by a separate choir organ with 23 stops. It fills the space of the Gothic hall church with sound and combines original Renaissance elements with later additions and modern work.
Dutch organ builder Hendrik Niehoff and Jasper Johansen built the instrument in 1553 in 's-Hertogenbosch and transported it via Amsterdam and Hamburg to Lüneburg. Later the organ was modified and expanded, including work in 1951 and additional pipes added from a Dutch workshop.
The organ's name refers to its size and it has been central to church life for centuries. Visitors today can sense the connection between this instrument and the generations who have heard and played music here.
You can hear this instrument during regular church services and concerts where various musical styles are performed. Plan your visit when organ music is on the program to experience the full power of the instrument.
With around 844 pipes this is one of the largest instruments of its era and the centuries that followed. The mix of Renaissance original work, 20th century additions, and modern components shows how the instrument was kept alive across generations.
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