Nikolaikirche, Brick Gothic church in Flensburg, Germany.
Nikolaikirche is a three-aisled Gothic hall church in central Flensburg, built from brick between about 1390 and 1480. Six pairs of round brick pillars separate the side aisles from the nave, and the four western bays are shorter than the later eastern ones. Its single tower, rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style after a lightning strike in 1878, rises 90 metres.
A predecessor church stood on this site by around 1332, near Flensburg's second trading post on the west bank of the fjord. Construction of the present brick hall church began around 1390 and continued eastward until about 1480. The first Lutheran sermon in the city was preached here on 30 November 1526 by Gerhard Slewart. The 90-metre tower received its neo-Gothic top after lightning destroyed the old spire in 1878.
The Nikolaikirche shapes the town's character with its red brick walls and represents centuries of religious life in Flensburg. Today, it draws visitors who come to experience the works of artists and musicians who perform here regularly.
The north side of the church is sunk up to three metres into the ground, and interior damp damage from a 1950s white paint layer has prompted sealing and restoration work. The tower, at 90 metres, is the tallest in Flensburg. The church stands directly on Südermarkt, next to the town hall.
The organ on the singers' gallery is a double instrument: a Schnitger organ reconstructed to its 1707/1709 disposition sits in the 1604–1609 Renaissance case by Heinrich Ringerink, with a symphonic organ behind it, built 1997–2009 by Gerald Woehl. The case shows the arms of King Christian IV and Queen Anna Catharina, held by angels.
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