St. Pauli-Church, Heritage monument and church in Holzminden, Germany

St. Pauli is an Evangelical Lutheran church in Holzminden, first documented in 1231 as the parish church of Altendorf. The white-walled building has a steep slate roof, a square tower with a black clock face with gold numerals, and an octagonal belfry topped by a slender green spire with a golden ball. A lower wing with a pyramidal roof extends to the left; the church gained its cruciform plan and expressionist roof turret in 1953–54.

First documented in 1231 as the parish church of Altendorf, the village that became Holzminden's settlement core, it belonged to the Archdeaconry of Höxter and was under the patronage of the Counts of Everstein. After Altendorf was abandoned (last mentioned 1494), the parish merged with Holzminden's town parish. The medieval church, destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, was rebuilt from 1696 with Baroque furnishings. In 1953–54 it was extended to a cruciform plan with an Expressionist roof turret.

The name St. Pauli was only given to the church after Altendorf was incorporated into Holzminden, making the congregation independent of the Luther parish; earlier names or patron saints are not recorded. The Baroque interior from the reconstruction after 1696 includes a pulpit altar, and since the late 1990s the pulpit stands alone beside the chancel, where a sandstone altar carries a bronze crucifix.

The church is centrally located in Holzminden and easily accessible on foot, particularly for visitors exploring the town center. It is best to check opening times beforehand since active congregations sometimes limit access to specific periods.

The church only received the name St. Pauli after Altendorf was incorporated into Holzminden in 1922, when the congregation became independent from the Luther parish; no earlier patron saint is recorded. Its organ was rebuilt by Paul Ott in the 1950s with a Rückpositiv, largely rebuilt by Werner Bosch Orgelbau in 2004 in the old case, and given a Fagott register in 2007.