Hauptkirche St. Michaelis (St. Michael's Church) has been destroyed, damaged and rebuilt many time over the years, but today's building is a testament to the tenacity of the city's faithful, and an incredible site to visit. The church itself is quite beautiful, far beyond what I can describe here. They have a magnificent organ, and if you are lucky (as was my wife) you may get to experience it. She was treated to a rendition of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor! Wow!

My interests, however, lie with towers! From that perspective, St. Michael's did not disappoint! I believe that you can ascend via the elevator, but I chose the steps. Everything was clean, secure and well organized (being recently rebuilt). From the "lantern" viewing platform (106 meters tall) you get a 360° panorama of the city, great for photographers (since you are in the open air, not behind windows). The total height of the tower is 132 meters, making it the third tallest church tower in Hamburg (just 1 meter less that St. Petri, 133 meters, and 15.9 meters less than St. Nikolai, 147.9 meters). For tower junkies, however, the height of the viewing platform is what counts. Here St. Michaelis falls short of the lofty platform of St. Petri's by 17 meters (106 vs. 123 - but it is possible to climb a few meters up a spiral staircase above the 106 meter level to increase the view at St. Michaelis!). The tallest church tower, St. Nikolai, however, has a relatively low viewing platform at only 76 meters (and is reached via a lift).

When considering the entire suite of reasons to visit a church in Hamburg, however, St. Michaelis has something for everybody, and should be on your list!