Day 10: Afternoon in Hamburg

A drive through Hamburg revealed a city with an extensive canal system. Hamburg has more bridges over waterways than Amsterdam and Venice combined.

Our first stop on the included tour was at St. Michael’s Church. It is Hamburg’s largest church and one of its more famous landmarks. Its tower features the largest clock in Germany.

The church’s defining feature is its 432-foot tall copper spire that once guided ships on the river Elbe beneath. The current building is the third on these grounds: the first was struck by lightning in 1750 and burned to the ground, and the second was destroyed by fire in 1906.

It’s the only church in Hamburg that was specifically built as a Lutheran church; the others were Roman Catholic and changed to Lutheran during the Protestant Reformation. It’s quite elegant.

The altar is 65 feet tall and was built from costly marble in 1910. The altar features three sections illustrating key scenes from the life of Christ — the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

Made from white marble, the baptismal font was crafted in Livorno in 1763 and donated by Hamburg merchants who lived there at that time. The baptismal font is shaped like a seashell and supported by three cherubs. The church is filled with curving balconies and loge boxes.

There are five impressive organs in the church have a total of 6674 pipes. That is a lot of musical output.

Stained glass window features a lighthouse.

An impressive bronze statue of the church’s patron saint, the archangel Michael, decorates the entrance. A statue of Martin Luther at the side of the church.

The church’s exterior was fascinating to both observe and photograph — so many layers, so many curves to draw the eye, so much detail.

We stopped in the City Centre and walked to see another church – St. Petri — but it was German Unification Day and most buildings and stores were closed for the holiday.

From the church’s front sign –- St. Peter’s is in the oldest parish church, with records going back to 1195. Rebuild in the 14th century, additions 15th century, destroyed in the Great Fire of 1842. Rebuilt 1844 to 1849 on old site.

I think it might have been a bit prettier if the sun shining on those old bricks.

More Hamburg in the next post.