The tower platform
A glass lift to a viewing deck about seventy-six metres up, over the city and harbour.
W. Bulach — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LuxTonnerre — CC BY 2.0 · Frank Schulenburg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dirtsc — CC BY-SA 3.0
St. Nikolai was among the tallest buildings in the world when it was finished in 1874. Today only the tower and some walls remain: the air raids on Hamburg in July 1943 destroyed it. The city decided not to rebuild. The ruins were left as they stood, as a memorial to the victims of war and bombing. The space beneath the tower is open to the sky, holding sculptures and stones from the original church. The tower still stands and can be ascended by a glass lift to a platform about seventy-six metres up. The view takes in central Hamburg, the harbour and the canals. In the crypt is a small exhibition explaining what happened in 1943: the raids, the firestorms and the death toll, along with the wider context of the bombing of European cities.
A glass lift to a viewing deck about seventy-six metres up, over the city and harbour.
The church floor under open sky, with original stone and sculpture among it. Free, and affecting.
A direct account of the 1943 raids and firestorms, with photographs, documents and testimony.
Willy-Brandt-Straße 60, 20457 Hamburg
Hamburg City HallHamburg's Rathaus is among the grandest city halls in Europe, finished in 1897 w4 minutes walk4.8
The Heinrich Heine MonumentA monument to the German poet Heinrich Heine in central Hamburg, whose history m5 minutes walk4.3
Hamburg DungeonThe Hamburg Dungeon is a scare show in the old warehouse district, in more or le5 minutes walk4.6
Miniatur WunderlandMiniatur Wunderland is the largest model railway in the world, filling several f5 minutes walk4.7
BleichenfleetThe Bleichenfleet is one of the Fleete — the old canals cutting through central 5 minutes walk4.6A deliberate decision. The city wanted the ruins left as evidence of what the war did to Hamburg. Rebuilding would have erased that, so it was kept as it stood and became a memorial.
Yes if you want a view over central Hamburg. The lift is glass, quick and needs no effort. It is not the highest view in the city but it is very central.
The ruins and tower, yes. The crypt exhibition is difficult, dealing with the victims of the raids, and suits teenagers and adults better.