Marktkirche, Gothic Revival church in Mitte, Germany
Marktkirche is a red-brick Gothic Revival church on Schlossplatz, built 1853–1862 by Carl Boos as the Nassauer Landesdom. It is a three-aisled basilica without a transept, modelled on Schinkel's Friedrichswerder Church in Berlin, with a polygonal 5/10 choir end. Five towers rise above it: the west tower at about 88 m, the tallest building in Wiesbaden, plus two side towers of 58 m and two choir towers of 73 m. Inside, galleries surround a hall 50 m long, 20 m wide and 28 m high, under a vault painted as a starry sky.
The medieval St. Mauritius church burned down on 27 June 1850, so Carl Boos was commissioned in 1851 to build a replacement. His brick Gothic Revival design, modelled on Schinkel's Friedrichswerder Church in Berlin, was criticised for its five towers, which he then raised further. The foundation stone was laid on 22 September 1853 and the church was consecrated on 13 November 1862.
The church's name comes from its location at the heart of the market square, where it has shaped the town's skyline since completion. Visitors notice the clear interior layout focused on the pulpit, typical of Protestant churches from this period.
The main tower rises about 88 m above the market square, reached by 290 steps to the carillon keyboard at roughly 65 m. The carillon of 49 bronze bells, the largest in Hesse, plays automatically at set times each day. Organ music is given every Saturday at 11:30 am, and the church is a venue of the Rheingau Musik Festival.
The main west tower rises about 88 metres, making the Marktkirche the tallest building in Wiesbaden. Its carillon, installed about 65 metres up and reached by 290 steps, was inaugurated on Reformation Day 1986; it is the largest in Hesse, with 49 bronze bells, the heaviest weighing 2.2 tons.
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