St. Catherine’s Church (Hauptkirche St. Katharinen)

Church in Hamburg

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Magnus Manske

St. Catherine’s Church (Hauptkirche St. Katharinen) is one of Hamburg’s five principal churches and a historic beacon along the Speicherstadt waterfront. First mentioned in documents from 1256, the current triple-aisled Gothic structure was built between the 14th and mid-15th centuries, making its tower base (up to about 23 meters) the oldest surviving masonry in Hamburg still in regular use. Its commanding 116.7–117 m baroque spire, topped with a golden crown said to be crafted from pirate Klaus Störtebeker’s legendary treasure, was reconstructed in the 17th century and restored again after WWII and recent renovations.

Inside, visitors can admire the meticulously rebuilt Baroque organ, once praised by Johann Sebastian Bach himself, with over 500 original pipes preserved and finally restored in 2013 in the project “Eine Orgel für Bach”. In recent years, the church underwent a major restoration (2007–2012), which revitalized its interior, organ, and tower while reinforcing its role as a spiritual and cultural landmark adjacent to both the historic city center and modern HafenCity.

The St. Catherine’s Church (Hauptkirche St. Katharinen) appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Hamburg!

This website uses affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you!