Located at the site of the Old Town, St. Nikolai, Hamburg is one of the oldest churches in the whole of Germany. It was built in accordance with the neo-Gothic style of architecture. The church met with the same fate as other historical monuments in the country. It was reduced to ruins during the Great Fire of 1842 and the subsequent wars also wrecked damage to its architecture. The remnants of the ancient church and the renovated tower now stand as an anti-war monument.
The actual building of St Nikolai, Hamburg was made up of bricks and was completely destroyed during the Great Fire. The plan for reconstruction began with the contest for an appropriate design for the church. Though the design of Gottfried Semper was initially
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approved, the renovation ultimately took place following the design of George Gilbert Scott, a British architect.The church was rebuilt following the Gothic model of architecture. Work was completed by 1874. The 145 meter tall tower is one of the highlights of the church and it was one of the tallest structures in Germany for some period of time.
The Second World War caused great damage to the structure and the work for its renovation was initiated with the help of donations from several quarters of the society. Today, the monument serves as an anti war monument and is thronged by tourists from all over the world. A space in the church which was previously used as a vault is now used to organize exhibitions. From the top of the tower, one can get an impressive view of the entire city.
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