St. Mary's Church Stralsund

As the largest parish church in Stralsund, St. Mary's Church was first mentioned in 1298. The original building was destroyed in 1382 when the tower collapsed. In its present form it was built in the period 1384 - 1478. The imposing west work, it was built from 1416, is without parallel in contemporary architecture. It is composed of two side halls and the towering central tower, which is flanked by four small stair towers. The main tower had a pointed helmet until 1647, which gave the church a considerable height of 151 meters in total. With this 151 meters, St. Mary's Church was the tallest building in the world until 1647. A fire caused by lightning destroyed the Gothic pointed tower and it was replaced in the style of the time by a much lower Baroque dome.

The current 104 m high baroque spire dates back to 1708. St. Mary's Church is the youngest Gothic brick basilica in the Nordic region. It has a polygonal choir ambulatory with a chapel crown. The three-nave transept is unusual. The interior impresses by its size. It is 96 m long, 41 m wide and 32.95 m high in the central nave. Thus, St. Mary's Church can be considered the second largest brick church in the Hanseatic region after St. Mary's Church in Gdansk. From 1807 to 1810, the church was used by the French occupation troops as barracks and hay store. Only little of the original furnishings could be preserved. The most precious possession of the church is the baroque organ, created in 1659 by the Lübeck organ builder Friedrich Stellwagen. Furthermore, the tombstones and the epitaphs in the ambulatory and transept, the baroque baptismal font from 1738, the tomb of the Count of Lilljenstedt, the marble tombstone and the three Renaissance chandeliers. And if you finally climb the 366 steps of the 104 m high tower, you will be offered a fanstastic view. Various organ concerts are held throughout the year.