St. Michael's Church — Attraction in Hamburg

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...

St. Michael's Church (St. Michaelis) is a beautiful and historic church in Hamburg that is definitely worth a visit. It is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture, with a stunning copper-covered spire that is visible from all over the city. The interior of the church is also impressive, with ornate decorations and beautiful stained glass windows.

There are a few things that make St. Michael's Church stand out from other churches in Hamburg. First, its size and grandeur are truly awe-inspiring. The church is 132 meters tall, making it the tallest building in Hamburg and one of the tallest churches in Germany. Second, the architecture is incredibly intricate and detailed. The facade is adorned with sculptures and reliefs, while the interior is filled with beautiful frescoes and carvings. Finally, the church has a rich history dating back to the 17th century. It has served as a place of worship, a refuge during wartime, and a symbol of hope for the people of Hamburg.

Overall, I highly recommend visiting St. Michael's Church if you are in Hamburg. It is a truly impressive building that will leave...

The church had a very nice Baroque interior, a bit like a theatre really; like the Church of Our Lady in Dresden, but unique and better.

The tower does have great views, but I’m not a big fan of these; especially when we had seen similar views from the Philharmonic Concert building last night. The crypt was very disappointing, with little to see really, and it was almost all in German. It is so easy to translate these days, so this was surprising. Some history of the fires and rebuilding was interesting though.

As we were nearing the end of the tour we realised there must have been an audio guide that we missed. We bought tickets online and saw nothing about this, and we were not offered it by either of the two attendants we spoke with. It would have made the exhibited far more worthwhile.

We felt that the website was unclear about tickets, opening times and costs. It was underwhelming really, as we have seen many churches like this. If you haven’t, then the interior is definitely...