St. Catherine's Church, Hamburg

St. Catherine's is one of the five main churches in Hamburg. Your tower shaft from the 13th century is regarded by the lighthouse of Neuwerk as the second oldest upstanding building in Hamburg. It lies opposite the warehouse district on the road The Mühren and is traditionally the Church of seafarers.

History

The church was first mentioned in a charter of 1256, was the center of the community on the Elbe islands Grimm, Cremon, Brook, Wandrahm and return again. The new building of the nave was completed in 1450. In the years 1566-1568 there was a colored version of the tower facade by the resident at the time in Hamburg painter Daniel Freese. From the artist also came the painting judgment of Solomon as a pillar clothing. The three-aisled Gothic basilica with pseudo ambulatory has a relation to the tower shifted northward axis. The nave has a height of 29 meters.

Until the 16th century, the ships had individual roofs, which were replaced by a common roof. Because of the poor subsoil Elbmarsch there have been numerous settlements that had to be absorbed by masonry anchors, one shows the year 1660. During the carnival tide on 14 February 1648, the tower was destroyed. Erected in 1657 baroque spire with multiple stages wears the crown of St. Catherine. It was prepared by the legend of the treasure Klaus Störtebekers.

After largely destroyed during a bombing raid on July 30, 1943 were essentially only the outer walls and the tower shaft received. In the years 1950 to 1956, the reconstruction by the architectural firm Hopp & hunters due to lack of money the community was, however inadequately. In 1957, the destroyed, 116.7 meters high tower was restored by a steel structure in the form of the 17th century.

As the urban project HafenCity nearby and competent church, it is extensively renovated since 2007. In addition to the rebuilding of the buttresses, the exchange of masonry, of the copper roof renovation and restoration of the organ was destroyed in 1943 is operated.

Equipment

The interior of the church is largely created. The crucifixion of Christ is a painting of the Hamburg painter Wilm Dedeke 1500. Two wooden sculptures date from the 14th century and were purchased new, but are from South German school. Also preserved are not designed in 1908 by the Hamburg artist and painter Heather Hermann de Bruycker window. For the Church, the painter Ingeborg zu Schleswig -Holstein in 1984 and 1986 created the images cycle path into the light of 24 panel paintings and twelve rosettes for the clerestory.

The bells consists of five bells with percussion tones f0, c1, e1, g1 and a1. The big bell was cast in 1626 by Hans Nüssel and weighs 6500 kg. It is the largest surviving bell of the founder and sounds usually only solo on Good Friday and funerals. The four smaller bells were cast by Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling in Heidelberg in 1957.

The extensions correspond to the original character, but are supplemented in a modern form. The Baroque doorways from old Hamburg merchant houses.

Spire

The Plauen carpenter Peter Marquart created the baroque dome, his brother Joachim Marquart the tower construction of the Marienkirche ( Zwickau ). An identical bell tower of the workshop Marquart St. Peter's Church (Riga).

Organs

Main organ

The first indications of an organ there in 1400, as a bellows-blower is mentioned. For the year 1433 a capital for the organ has been demonstrated. Marten de Mare took in 1520 before a conversion. 1534 is the speech that was modified several times in the 16th century and was known in her time as the most important instrument of Hamburg by a small organ. During the 17th century it was expanded to a total of 58 registers on four manuals. Leading organ builders like Hans Scherer the Elder, Gottfried Fritzsche and Friedrich Stellwagen had by then expanded and maintained the instrument.

Beginning of the 18th century was Johann Sebastian Bach several times a guest in St. Catherine, as he truly appreciated the organ. Until today is his organ concert in 1720 before the notables of the city; his organ work Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, goes back to this event.

"In the St. Catharinenkirchenorgel in Hamburg are even 16 pipe mills. The seel. Capel Meister Hr. JS Bach in Leipzig, which was once for 2 hours, in every way admirable work has be heard on this, as he said, could not sufficiently praise the beauty and diversity of the sound of this pipe works. [ ... ] The seel. Kapellmeister Bach in Leipzig, assured a good and quite similar vernehmliche speech to the lowest C, of the 32füßigen Principale, and the trombone in the pedals Catharinenorgel in Hamburg: but he also said this would be the only principal that big of this good nature, he would have heard. "

The historic organ, which was largely destroyed in 1943, initially survived 1016 pipes. In the new organ in 1962 still found 520 pipes from 20 registries use. This, together with photos of the outer contact and documentation created before 1943 the starting point for a scientifically responsible for reconstruction of the instrument. The organ was built by the company Flentrop in 2013, reconstructed the lost pipe work, the playground and the historic prospectus. Using a scale drawing preserved old photographs and reconstructed the studio of Christiane Sandler in Augsburg carving. The Rückpositiv had been initiated already on Easter Sunday, 2009 in the first construction phase. From September 2012, the other three manual divisions and pedal towers were built. The congregation brought for the project, which was founded by the 2005 ' Foundation Johann Sebastian - an organ for Bach " was flanked, 3.2 million euros in donations on. The inauguration took place on 9 June 2013.

The prospectus is drawn from the transitional period of the late Renaissance to the early Baroque. In the gallery balustrade, the positive feedback is in a reduced form of the main plant. Both cases are characterized by a round central tower and pointed turrets. Between the towers two-storey flat fields are attached. Two powerful polygonal pedal towers that are crowned blowing of trumpets angels flanking the manual divisions. All pipes fields have carved veil work and will be completed by rich profiled Gesimskränzen. The disposition reflects the state as Johann Mattheson in 1720 announced. In addition, two of the 18th- and 19th -century registers and Octava 4 were integrated ' ( OW), so that the organ has 61 registers.

• Pairing: III / II, IV / III, I / P
• 3 tremulants ( for the whole organ and for I IV separately)
• 2 Zimbelsterne
• Mood: Height a1 = 465 Hz at 20 ° C
• Equal temperament (Bach - waiter )

Choir organ

Detlef Kleuker created in 1984 a choir organ, which is used as an accompanying instrument for the liturgical events in the choir. The prospectus in the form of a K recalls the name of the church, the organ builder and sponsors Otto Krahn. In an overhaul in 2001 by OBM Erbsloh the original Cornet in the SW was divided ( in fifth and third) and the Pedal Trombone 16 'is replaced by a Trumpet 8', so that the organ now has 15 registers, the two manuals and pedal are distributed. In addition, the organ was given a well-tempered tuning.

• Couplers: II / I, I / P, II / P

Church musician

Famous organist Heinrich Scheidemann and Johann Adam Reincken were employed in St. Catherine and prompted an extension of the organ. As musical director Georg Philipp Telemann worked from 1721 in Hamburg. From 1931 until its destruction in 1943 was Engelhard Barthe ( 1906-1977 ) organist, after reconstruction in 1956 was Thomas Dittmann ( 1931-1998 ) was appointed, the newly founded the choral work in this church. In 1994, Andreas Fischer this office, who campaigned for the reconstruction of the historic organ.