Peterskirche, Romanesque church and war memorial in Lindau, Germany

Peterskirche is a Romanesque aisleless church on the island of Lindau, known for its tall, nearly windowless tower that cuts diagonally through the junction of the choir and nave. The building combines architectural elements from the 12th and 15th centuries, shaping the skyline of the old town.

A wooden chapel of St Peter, the fishermen's patron, preceded the present church, which is Romanesque in core and dates to the 11th century. The nave was extended westward by about six metres in the first half of the 13th century. After the Reformation reached Lindau in 1528 the church was profaned and served as an arsenal and later a wood and coal store. In 1928 it became a war memorial, with Marie Feulner's marble sculpture of an unknown soldier.

The church's name recalls Saint Peter, patron of fishermen, whose settlement once stood here. Since 1928 it has served as a war memorial: a marble sculpture of an Unknown Soldier by Munich artist Marie Feulner, chosen from 95 competition entries, stands inside, and plaques commemorate Lindau's dead and missing of the Franco-Prussian War and both World Wars, extended in 1981 with the 17 victims of Nazi violence, most of them Jewish residents of Lindau.

The church sits in the heart of Lindau's old town and is easy to reach on foot from most points on the island. The tower is visible from a distance and makes a useful reference point when walking through the narrow lanes nearby.

The tower was built for defense before the main church was constructed, and it once stood close to the original harbor. This is why it sits at an unexpected angle within the current building, rather than aligning neatly with the nave.