Altstadt Church

The medieval old-urban church of St. Nicholas stood in the center of the former capital of East Prussia Königsberg (today Kaliningrad in North-West Russia ) in the place of the later Kaiser- Wilhelm-Platz said. Your foundation stone was laid in 1264; 1504-1537 replaced by a new building. The church was closely connected with the history of Lutheranism, since there exists a certain monk Johann Amandus has held the first Protestant sermon in East Prussia. She was also one of the largest churches in East Prussia. Their dimensions were: outer: 48.7 m × 35.7 m; inside: 47.9 m × 31.1 m; the vault height was about 20 m. The newer spire was similar to that of Löbenichtschen church. With its dimensions it took almost a whole the Kaiser -Wilhelm-Platz. Due to their short-term determination as cathedral it was littered with graves, epitaphs and memorial plaques. The most famous grave was probably that of John Luther, the eldest son of the reformer, who died in 1575 as a Saxon Councilor here. It was also famous by K. E. Zelter in 1763 built organ with 3 manuals and 65 stops. The last service was held in 1824, since lowered the church and cracks arose. Between 1826 and 1828, the church was demolished due to disrepair. The freed space remained undeveloped and was later the Kaiser- Wilhelm-Platz. There was a clear view of the castle tower with the Renaissance gables of the castle. The old-urban New Church, a Neo-Gothic brick building, was built about ten years later in 1838 after a design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in the Junkersstraße.

Pictures

The old old-urban church in the background of the castle church tower ( old)

The first old-urban church in front of the castle in 1826

The first old-urban church from 1826