St. Martin's Church, Gothic brick church in Landshut, Germany
St. Martin's Church is a Gothic brick hall church in Landshut with a 130.6-metre tower, the tallest brick tower in the world. Its long nave has tall pointed windows between brick piers, and the interior is covered by a high ribbed vault on red-brown stone piers. A lime-wood crucifix 5.80 metres long hangs from the vault.
Construction of the Gothic church began around 1389 on the site of a Romanesque predecessor from the town's founding in 1204, whose 50-metre foundations were excavated in 1980. Hans Krumenauer drew the plan and built the choir; Hans von Burghausen took over in 1406, followed by Hans Stethaimer and Stefan Purghauser. The nave vaults were added around 1475 and the tower was roofed around 1500, after more than a century of work.
The church keeps the late Gothic crucifix by Michel Erhart, installed in 1495: the body is carved from a lime tree trunk, 5.80 m long with an arm span of 5.40 m, and the whole cross measures 8 m. The hexagonal pulpit is cut from a single stone block. Also look for the rose-wreath Madonna of about 1520 by Hans Leinberger.
The church is easily accessible from the street and offers an open view of its Gothic interior upon entering. Visitors should note that the interior remains cool and respect should be shown as this is an active parish church.
The foundation rests on five thousand wooden stakes driven below groundwater level, where constant moisture preserves the wood from decay. This medieval engineering solution enabled the construction of the soaring brick tower without modern steel support.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,883 contributors worldwide.
