Nikolaikirche

Nikolaikirche stands in Berlin’s Nikolaiviertel, surrounded by restored medieval buildings and historic streets. Built between 1220 and 1230, it is Berlin’s oldest church. Its Roman Catholic beginnings changed after the Protestant Reformation of 1539, when the church became Lutheran and joined the city’s changing religious life.

Paul Gerhardt and Johann Crueger lived and worked here during the seventeenth century. Their collaboration connected church music, poetry and European cultural history. The first assembly of Berlin’s city council was sworn into office inside these walls in 1809. World War II destroyed the roof and towers, but East German authorities permitted reconstruction during the 1980s, following historic designs and plans.

The restored interior now houses a museum and concert venue with notable acoustics. Forty-one bells give the church a distinctive musical presence. Wheelchair access makes this historic site easier to explore while its concerts continue the building’s long musical tradition.