Sankt Pauli Kirche

The Sankt Pauli Kirche stands in Hamburg’s Altona-Altstadt district as an Evangelical Lutheran church. Its name recalls the Apostle Paul and the church’s earlier local history.

A half-timbered predecessor stood here from 1682 until its destruction during the French occupation. The present building dates from 1819 and 1820. Carl Ludwig Wimmel designed the church in a classical style, with side galleries and an altar niche. Financial limits initially left the church without a tower. Max Wallenstein added the neogothic tower in 1864.

Inside, a bright gallery hall surrounds a pulpit altar and a detailed east wall. Slender iron columns support the interior’s galleries and bright hall. Paintings of local pastors add faces and community memory to the church’s architectural setting. Bartelt Immer built the organ in 2011, drawing on earlier instrument designs. Several church bells date from the sixteenth century. The grounds also carry a history of youth work, daycare, and a youth house. Pastor Clemens Schultz initiated youth work within that community setting. The church has also served as a cultural venue for public readings and community events.