St Stephen's Church, Tangermünde

St Stephen's Church is a brick-built sanctuary in Brick Gothic style that towers prominently above Tangermünde's old town with its tall steeple. The structure combines thick brick walls with intricate decorative details that you can see both outside and throughout the interior spaces.

The church began construction after 1350 under Emperor Charles IV, who established a religious community to manage the sanctuary and shaped the city's spiritual infrastructure. Over the following centuries, the interior was expanded and baroque additions like a new steeple were added, changing how the building looked from the outside.

The church is dedicated to Saint Stephen, a figure venerated across medieval Europe whose name appears throughout Christian worship spaces in this region. Inside, the carved details and painted biblical scenes show how faith shaped the daily lives of local people across many generations.

The church sits in the heart of the old town and is easy to reach on foot, with its main facade clearly visible from the street. Visitors can enter the interior to view the furnishings and decoration, but visiting hours vary so it's wise to check ahead before planning your visit.

Inside the church sounds an organ built in 1624 by the renowned organ maker Hans Scherer the Younger, and it still produces its original sound today. This instrument survived through careful restoration work and remains a rare example of craftsmanship from that era that continues to function as originally intended.