The Best View Over Hamburg: St. Michael's Tower
360° HAMBURG – 100 PERCENT ST. MICHAEL’S
Here, visitors can take a deep breath and, for just a moment, escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, which suddenly seems very small far below. There’s plenty of the city old and new to discover from up here: the sparkling Alster with its sailing boats and fountain, the port activities and the sheer vastness of the surprisingly green city. Incidentally, St. Michael’s tower offers the best view of the unique Elbphilharmonie architecture!
You can, of course, use the convenient lift to reach the St. Michael’s observation deck. But if you’re feeling courageous and would like to get better acquainted with St. Michael’s, we recommend the stairs. The clockwork of Germany’s largest church tower clock awaits visitors on one of the tower floors. At noon, the church bells chime a magnificent chorus of many voices that fills the entire tower. The St. Michael’s tower warden acts as a special timekeeper for the city, playing a chorale on his trumpet in every cardinal direction at 10 o’clock in the morning and 9 o’clock in the evening – with such punctuality that many set their watch by it. Visitors who reach the observation deck at 106 metres are rewarded with an unobstructed panoramic view all the way to the horizon.
It’s not just the climb that’s sure to set your pulse racing, but occasionally also love. Is there any place more romantic to declare your love to someone special than high above the clouds, with the city spread out before you? Many a happy marriage has begun with a proposal on St. Michael’s tower and been sealed with a simple ‘I do’ in St. Michael’s church.
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Please note that certain areas of our church are closed off during services and events and cannot be visited during those times. Receive detailed information on services and events from our calendar.
St. Michael's has many facets. View them for yourself! Our church, the tower and the crypt are worth the visit.
Der Michel und die umliegende Stadt, Bild: Michael Zapf
Bild: Michael Zapf
Vater-unser-Glocke © Michael Zapf
ST. MICHAEL’S TOWER GOES BACK MORE THAN 350 YEARS
Many Hamburg residents firmly believe that St. Michael’s has always been there, as it’s just about impossible to imagine the city’s skyline without the familiar church tower. But even St. Michael’s started out small as a humble cemetery chapel outside the city walls in the year 1600. The little church with a decorative tower was soon too small to hold the many believers of the rapidly growing city. A larger St. Michael’s church would offer Neustadt residents more space and was thus built within view of the old church – at the same location of St. Michael’s today. The new church was inaugurated in 1661, even if there was an important component missing, as St. Michael’s tower was only completed eight years later.
This proud tower would be St. Michael’s downfall nearly a hundred years later. On 10 March 1750, a thunderstorm swept over the city and a powerful bolt of lightning struck the tower, setting it ablaze and burning the church to the ground.
But Hamburg residents weren’t willing to give up on their St. Michael’s. Just one month later, they built a bell tower out of wood in the city, fitted with the church bells from its predecessor, the old cemetery chapel. From here, the tower wardens would play the chorale in the morning and evening – as they had done from St. Michael’s and as they do today from the tower.
Still, St. Michael’s tower remained a problem for the church. Even though everyone in the city soon agreed that a new church needed to be built, the tower only reached the height of the church nave during the inauguration in 1762. The incomplete tower was a source of ridicule in the city and beyond its borders – couldn’t Hamburg afford a church tower? Refusing to let that stand, the Senate appointed Ernst Georg Sonnin to the position of tower architect in 1776, as he had already been involved in building the second large St. Michael’s church.
Sonnin was not only brilliant, but also knew how to save money. His idea for lifting the necessary timber to the height of the tower using a self-made winch eliminated the need for expensive scaffolding and significantly reduced construction costs. In 1786, nearly a quarter of a century after completion of the church, the tower was finally inaugurated.
This prominent tower shaped the cityscape for more than a hundred years – until fire struck yet again. Whilst working on the copper roof with a blowlamp in 1906, an employee ignited a smouldering fire which not even the tower watchman noticed until it was too late. Within an hour, the tower had collapsed, claiming the life of the tower watchman. St. Michael’s burnt down to the foundation walls, leaving the city of Hamburg in a state of shock.
The day after the devastating fire, the Senate made the decision to rebuild St. Michael’s, with work beginning in 1908 on the basis of the old plans, but with new materials. Steel and concrete rather than wood would protect the church from fire. The tower topping-out ceremony was held in 1909, and the third large St. Michael’s church inaugurated in 1912 – in the presence of the German Emperor.
Hamburg’s relentless weather was able to do what the two World Wars could not – significantly damage the tower – making major renovations necessary. The tower was a construction site from 1983 to 1996, at which time it was restored to its former glory. But this splendour would not endure forever, as the fire had left its mark both inside and outside the tower’s old brickwork, which is up to six metres thick in some places. The intense heat had caused cracks, allowing moisture to penetrate and damage the walls. Work is scheduled to begin in summer 2025 to reinforce the walls of the unmistakable tower. After all, Hamburg residents firmly believe that St. Michael’s has always been and will always be there.
Directions
We recommend using public transport to reach St. Michael’s: S1, S3 (Stadthausbrücke), U3 (Rödingsmarkt or Baumwall), Bus 16 or Bus 17 (Michaeliskirche).
You will find parking for passenger cars in the St. Michael’s car park (Michel-Garage), accessible via Rödingsmarkt/Schaarsteinweg. Parking is permitted for two hours in the nearby car park at Zeughausmarkt.
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