Don't mention the war!
August 1st 2007 09:45
While it may be possible, and certainly is tactful, not to mention the war in Germany, it's impossible not to think about it. Like an old ghost that won't to be laid to rest, it lingers still. You can sense it in the people's reserve about nationalism and its emblems, like the flag. You can feel its presence beneath the shiny steel and glass of the new buildings that have risen from the ashes of destruction. You can see it in the last few old scarred and mutilated architectural survivors.
The church of St Nikolai in Hamburg is one of those survivors. Called the "Church of fate" because its history is so closely tied to that of the city, it was founded in 1195, at the time when the Port of Hamburg was flourishing. On the initiative of wealthy merchants, the first wooden chapel, named St Nikolai's in honour of the patron of sailors and travellers, was built on its present site, in the new town, west of the original settlement on the banks of the Elbe. In 1383, the first chiming clock was installed and in 1517 the first tall steeple (135 metres) was raised.
At the time of the Reformation, Johannes Bugenhagen, a disciple of Martin Luther, was appointed as preacher at St Nikolai's. In 1529, his "Christian Order of the honourable city of Hamburg" , which was the foundation of Hamburg's prosperity in the following 200 years, was accepted and enacted by the parliament of Hamburg.
Throughout the centuries, St Nikolai's church and steeple has been destroyed many times; by fire in 1589, by spontaneous collapse in 1644 and then again, by the fire that destroyed much of Hamburg in1842. But each time the citizens of Hamburg have rallied to re-build it. The New Gothic style St Nikolai's that remains in part today was designed by the English architect George Gilbert Scott and was completed in 1874.
In 1943 the Second World War raged across Europe,Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific blowing death and destruction before it. For Germany, this was the darkest hour. All its strategic cities were under ferocious attack and Hamburg was not to be spared the devastation Using St Nikolai's 147.3 metre spire as a point of orientation, in July of that year, British and American forces carried out the bombing raids known as operation Gomorra. In just a few nights the city was destroyed and 34,000 people lost their lives. Only the badly damaged steeple of St Nikolai's was left standing.
With operation Gomorra, the 800 year bond between the church and the city came to an end. Hamburg rose again from the the ruins but St Nikolai's remains a ruin. After tthe destruction of Gomorra, the people of Hamburg had no wish to re-build it. Since that time, no more than a blackened shell. the steeple of St Nikolai's has stood against the Hamburg skyline, as a monument and a memorial to the victims of war and persecution.
St Nikolai's facade
The church of St Nikolai in Hamburg is one of those survivors. Called the "Church of fate" because its history is so closely tied to that of the city, it was founded in 1195, at the time when the Port of Hamburg was flourishing. On the initiative of wealthy merchants, the first wooden chapel, named St Nikolai's in honour of the patron of sailors and travellers, was built on its present site, in the new town, west of the original settlement on the banks of the Elbe. In 1383, the first chiming clock was installed and in 1517 the first tall steeple (135 metres) was raised.
The spire of St Nikolai's
At the time of the Reformation, Johannes Bugenhagen, a disciple of Martin Luther, was appointed as preacher at St Nikolai's. In 1529, his "Christian Order of the honourable city of Hamburg" , which was the foundation of Hamburg's prosperity in the following 200 years, was accepted and enacted by the parliament of Hamburg.
Throughout the centuries, St Nikolai's church and steeple has been destroyed many times; by fire in 1589, by spontaneous collapse in 1644 and then again, by the fire that destroyed much of Hamburg in1842. But each time the citizens of Hamburg have rallied to re-build it. The New Gothic style St Nikolai's that remains in part today was designed by the English architect George Gilbert Scott and was completed in 1874.
The interior of the remains of St Nikolai
In 1943 the Second World War raged across Europe,Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific blowing death and destruction before it. For Germany, this was the darkest hour. All its strategic cities were under ferocious attack and Hamburg was not to be spared the devastation Using St Nikolai's 147.3 metre spire as a point of orientation, in July of that year, British and American forces carried out the bombing raids known as operation Gomorra. In just a few nights the city was destroyed and 34,000 people lost their lives. Only the badly damaged steeple of St Nikolai's was left standing.
St Nikolai's, the memorial
With operation Gomorra, the 800 year bond between the church and the city came to an end. Hamburg rose again from the the ruins but St Nikolai's remains a ruin. After tthe destruction of Gomorra, the people of Hamburg had no wish to re-build it. Since that time, no more than a blackened shell. the steeple of St Nikolai's has stood against the Hamburg skyline, as a monument and a memorial to the victims of war and persecution.
The Ordeal
Explanation of the ordeal
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