St. Peter’s Church serves Hamburg’s oldest parish. It’s located in the Altstadt (Old Town) district and offers peaceful respite from the bustling streets of the surrounding Mönckebergstrasse shopping district. Come to discover the various pieces of art inside the building, many of which predate the current building and tell the story of the church, its former parishioners and the city itself.
St. Peter's Church was first documented in 1195. The building you see today was built in 1849 after the previous building burned down in the Great Fire of 1842. Today's building is not a post-war reconstruction, like so many of Hamburg’s other churches. St. Peter’s survived World War II with relatively little damage.
The oldest and best known artworks in St. Peter's are the bronze lion-head door handles found in the west portal, which date from the foundation of the tower in 1342. In the north part of the building you’ll find a gothic mural dating from around 1460, which depicts the first bishop Ansgar of Bremen.
Seek out the painting, Christmas 1813, which can be found on a column in the south part of the church. It shows the Hamburg citizens who were locked inside the church by Napoleon’s occupying troops after refusing to provide the soldiers with food.
Join one of the free guided tours that take place on Thursdays and the first Sunday of each month to learn more about the artworks and the history of St. Peter’s. Tours last about an hour. Come on a Wednesday evening to enjoy organ music during the Stunde der Kirchenmusik (Hour of Church Music).
St. Peter’s bell tower offers one of the highest vantage points in the city. There are 544 steps to the top, so the climb isn’t for everyone. If you can make it, the tower offers a spectacular view over the Rathausmarkt (Town Hall market) and Alster Lake.
The church is just a few blocks from the Town Hall, and is easy to reach from U-Bahn stations Rathaus or Jungfernstieg. Admission is free.
