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40-456: The Rathausmarkt was built after the Great Fire of Hamburg in 1842, which destroyed also the old city hall near the bridge of Trostbrücke and the buildings near the new city hall, with the exception of the building of Hamburg Stock Exchange . Shortly before the fire, the old St. John's monastery and also the old church of St. John, located on the southern end of the square, which were situated in

80-527: A bond for 34.4 million marks (with Salomon Heine putting up much of the collateral), which it paid off over 46 years. The private Gothaer Feuer ( Gotha Fire) had to have 250,000  thalers in coins shipped to Hamburg to satisfy claimants who insisted on payment in Prussian currency. After the fire, British insurers increasingly concentrated on the British Empire . The disaster was the primary impetus to

120-418: A high-pressure water supply, and almost 2,000 hydrants. The fire caused 100 million marks in losses, seriously straining many insurance companies. The municipal Hamburger Feuerkasse (Hamburg Fire Fund) or Cassa , participation in which had been made mandatory for most residents in 1817, was liable for 38 million marks, approximately equivalent to 1 billion euro in 2006 money, and had to raise

160-498: A premium by being first to reach a fire. The city was dense with wooden and half-timbered houses, which tended to be tall and narrow, reflecting the shape of the building plots, and merchants operated their businesses out of their houses, so that many included warehouses containing flammables such as rubber and shellac . The provision of water for firefighting, from the Elbe and canals, was inefficient: low water made pumping difficult, and

200-418: A water supply, although the city declined to spend the money to sand-filter the river water, so that the water became notorious for its living and dead contents and contributed to the cholera epidemic  [ de ; sv ; el ] of 1892. By 1870 a modern gas network and streetlighting were also in place. The fire-fighting system was reorganized; by 1866 a survey noted that there were two fire districts,

240-665: Is generally to this church that they are referring, and not the new Hauptkirche dedicated to Saint Nicholas in the Harvestehude district. The remains of the old church are the second-tallest structure in Hamburg . In 2005, an elevator was installed to a 75.3-metre-high (247 ft) platform. With the founding of the Nikolai settlement and a harbor on the Alster in the 12th century, a chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas , patron saint of sailors,

280-664: Is the setting of novels by Carl Reinhardt ( Der Brand von Hamburg oder der fünfte Mai. Ein Lebensbild von der Unterelbe , 1874; repr. 1989) and Edgar Maass ( Das große Feuer , 1939; repr. 1950) and a story by Paul Schurek ("Der Hamburger Brand", 1922; repr. 1949). Thomas Mann's 1901 novel Buddenbrooks briefly mentions the fire in Part 3, Chapter 1. 53°33′04″N 9°59′38″E  /  53.551°N 9.994°E  / 53.551; 9.994 Nikolaikirche, Hamburg The Church of St. Nicholas (German: St.-Nikolai-Kirche )

320-610: The TV tower , the tower of the church is still the second tallest building in Hamburg. The clearly visible tower of the Church of St. Nicholas served as a goal and orientation marker for pilots of the Allied Air Forces during the extensive air raids on Hamburg. On 28 July 1943, the church was heavily damaged by aerial bombs . The roof collapsed and the interior of the nave suffered heavy damage. The walls began to show cracks, yet neither they nor

360-458: The Gothic architectural style, was commissioned to devise a new design. He designed an 86-metre-long (282 ft) nave , with a 28-metre-high (92 ft) vault. The architecture was strongly influenced by French and English Gothic styles, though the pointed spire is typically German. The amount of sculptures made from sandstone in the interior and on the tower was unusual. The new church was built to

400-562: The area of today's Rathausmarkt, had been demolished. The square was created pursuing a plan and designed after the model of Piazza San Marco in Venice , which is also opening to the waterfront. The new city hall was completed in 1897. In 1933, the Rathausmarkt had been renamed to Adolf-Hitler-Platz ( Adolf Hitler square), as many squares and streets in Germany at that time. It was renamed after

440-677: The destroyed nave pulled from the River Elbe in November 2000. A reconstruction of the church, as done with the Church of Our Lady in Dresden , is not intended. However, a 51-bell carillon was installed in 1993 as a memorial. The current condition of the Church of St. Nicholas is the result of the bombing of Hamburg in World War II , the removal of its ruinous walls and rubble in 1951 and restoration work to

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480-445: The draft of a Romanesque domed structure. His design, however, was not realized, as it did not fit into Hamburg's townscape. Shortly before this time, the completion of the medieval Cologne cathedral in 1842 had led to a Gothic revival in Germany. Hamburg's own medieval cathedral had been demolished in 1805. The English architect George Gilbert Scott , who was an expert in the restoration of medieval churches and an advocate of

520-471: The effort. Some buildings were blown up in an attempt to create firebreaks , including the old Rathaus (city hall), originally built in 1290; 18 wagonloads of records were salvaged from it first. 5 May was Ascension Day ; a few hours after the midday feastday service, despite strenuous efforts, the spire of the Nikolaikirche collapsed, and the church burned down. There was panic and extensive looting;

560-447: The end of World War II in 1945. Until the 1970s the square was a transport hub for the Trams in Hamburg . After tram operation had ceased in 1978, the square was fully renovated and surfaced with red granite until 1982 under the aegis of mayor Hans-Ulrich Klose , wherefore it was jokingly dubbed Red Square . The former monument for William I , which had been erected on the square in 1903,

600-554: The establishment of the first reinsurance company, Kölnische Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft or Kölnische Rück (Cologne Re), an ancestor of Gen Re , which was first discussed later in 1842, although it was not chartered until 1846. Elise Averdieck came into the city from the suburb of St. Georg during the fire and described the scenes in the streets; she also described it in Roland und Elisabeth (1851; repr. 1962), part 2 of her Kinderleben , autobiographical tales for children. The fire

640-452: The fire due to the equipment of the day, which did not allow water to be carried in sufficient quantity to the heights of the tower. It finally collapsed, setting the nave on fire and burning it completely. Shortly after the fire, the church was rebuilt again. In 1843, a so-called " shilling collection" was started, and in 1844 there was an architectural competition, won by the architect Gottfried Semper (a native of nearby Altona ) with

680-499: The firefighters, and approximately a third of the city was destroyed, including 1,700 residential buildings containing more than 4,000 homes, more than 100 warehouses, seven churches, two synagogues, sixty schools, and public buildings including the Bank of Hamburg in addition to the Rathaus. Approximately 20,000 people were left homeless, including four senators . The fire was covered in

720-412: The general wave of elected Lutheran ministers in Hamburg; in the Church of St. Nicholas, Johann Zegenhagen was appointed after Kissenbrügge's final departure. The Reformation was completed peacefully, and in 1528 Bugenhagen appeared in Hamburg and became the preacher at the Church of St. Nicholas. He is known for establishing a church order in Hamburg which regulated finances and other church affairs such as

760-453: The leather hoses would not slide on ladders, so that water could not be pumped above ground level. By daybreak much of the Altstadt was on fire. As the fire continued to burn, collapsed buildings prevented fireboats from using the canals, and there was no system to coordinate the firefighters from different parishes. Firefighters from outside the city, as far away as Lübeck and Kiel , joined

800-432: The militia aided in the firefighting until it had to combat looting instead. About half the population, some 70,000 people, fled. After three days and nights, thanks to a further shift in the wind and what remained of the former walls of the city, the fire was finally put out at 7 am on 8 May; the location is marked by the street name Brandsende , "fire's end", near the main station . 51 people died, including 22 of

840-473: The morning of 5 May 1842; a neighbour alerted the night watch at about 1 a.m. It quickly spread to number 25, across the street. The weather had been unusually dry, and the wind was strong and changeable. Hamburg had fire lookouts on church towers, known as Türmer , in addition to night watchmen who had horns to sound to report a fire, and a code by which church bells reported the location and severity of fires. Volunteer teams of firefighters competed to earn

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880-525: The morning of 8 May, destroying about one third of the buildings in the Altstadt . It killed 51 people and destroyed 1,700 residences and several important public buildings, necessitating major civic rebuilding and prompting infrastructure improvements. The heavy demand on insurance companies led to the establishment of reinsurance . The fire began in Eduard Cohen's cigar factory at Deichstraße 42 or 44 early in

920-401: The noon service held by preacher Wendt, who stood in for the minister Carl Moenckeberg, had to be cut short and ended with an intercessory prayer for the saving of the church. One obviously did not count on the loss of the church as most art treasures were not saved. The tower was engulfed by the fire at about four o'clock in the afternoon. Despite desperate efforts, it was not possible to contain

960-463: The poet Heinrich Heine , insisted on meeting his obligations as an insurer and persuaded other merchants to do so. The city was rebuilt quickly, with a greater use of brick and a brief fashion for Classical "white city" architecture in public buildings. A Technical Commission was established; a British engineer, William Lindley , proposed a reconstruction plan that was adopted with modifications (maintaining property lines rather than straightening all

1000-533: The rubble was partially used for the reinforcement of the banks of the River Elbe . The loss of a valuable Gothic revival architectural monument was regretted by many, but after the war there were other priorities as far as reconstruction was concerned. Compared to the Church of Michael the Archangel , the Church of St. Nicholas was not regarded as one of Hamburg's most important landmarks. The tower and some remains of

1040-420: The school curriculum. This order continued for 200 years. The old Church of St. Nicholas was the first large public building to burn in the Great Fire of Hamburg of May 1842. The destruction of the Church of St. Nicholas is described by chroniclers as a particularly moving event for the citizens. It was the first large building to burn, and was an indication of how catastrophic the fire would become. On 5 May,

1080-477: The southeast, a short distance from the old location, where the Neue Burg (New Castle) had once stood. Construction began in 1846, and on 27 September 1863 the church was consecrated. The 147.3-metre-high (483 ft) tower was finished in 1874. At that time, the Church of St. Nicholas became the tallest building in the world, which it remained until the completion of the cathedral of Rouen in 1876. Second only to

1120-547: The streets) and designed a project to drain and develop the Hammerbrook area, which was built up with rubble from the fire. (Lindley had already been involved in planning the city's first railroad connection, the Hamburg-Bergedorf Railway Company , which had been due to open on May 7 and instead was put in service two days early to bring firefighters from elsewhere and evacuate survivors.). Building with wood

1160-423: The tower collapsed. After the war, the basic structure of the Gothic church remained intact to a large extent and reconstruction was a realistic option. Nevertheless, it was decided to demolish the nave while leaving the tower untouched. As the vicinity of the church was no longer a residential area, a new Church of St. Nicholas was built in the district of Harvestehude . In 1951, the nave was finally demolished and

1200-457: The tower in the 1990s and 2012. The Rettet die Nikolaikirche e.V. foundation works to restore the tower further and improve its memorial role, supported by the city of Hamburg, the congregation of the Hauptkirche and various corporate sponsors and private contributors. The organization is charged with maintaining the building's existing structure, restoration, arranging events and displays in

1240-534: The wall have since been preserved as a memorial against war. For several decades they were not cared for, and, consequently, they gradually decayed. In 1987, the Rettet die Nikolaikirche e.V. (Rescue St. Nicholas's Church) foundation began to restore the existing fabric of the building and erected a so-called "place of encounters" (a room for events and exhibitions) in the crypt. The organization attempts to salvage pieces of rubble that were removed in 1951, such as pieces from

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1280-508: The world press, including eye-witness reports and an engraving in the first issue of the Illustrated London News . Hermann Biow , a pioneering photographer, took daguerrotypes from the roof of the new Stock Exchange building, which had survived; these are the first photographs of the city and possibly the first news photographs. Painted dioramas depicting the catastrophe later toured. A visual vocabulary derived from Roman ruins

1320-418: Was a Gothic Revival cathedral that was formerly one of the five Lutheran Hauptkirchen (main churches) in the city of Hamburg, Germany . The original chapel, a wooden building, was completed in 1195. It was replaced by a brick church in the 14th century, which was eventually destroyed by fire in 1842. The church was completely rebuilt by 1874, and was the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876. It

1360-453: Was designed by the English architect George Gilbert Scott . The bombing of Hamburg in World War II destroyed the bulk of the church. The removal of the rubble left only its crypt, its site and tall-spired tower, largely hollow save for a large set of bells. These ruins continue to serve as a memorial and an important architectural landmark. When Hamburg residents mention the Nikolaikirche , it

1400-400: Was erected in 1517, burned down in 1589. The tower built to replace it collapsed in 1644. The last tower of the old Church of St. Nicholas was designed by Peter Marquardt. The Marquardt tower had a height of 122 metres (400 ft), and with its characteristic dome was a landmark of the city and jewel of its skyline. As the center of one of the four Hamburg parishes, the Church of St. Nicholas

1440-513: Was erected. This wood building was the second church in Hamburg, after St. Mary's Cathedral . In 1335, some years before the onslaught of the Black Death , construction on a new brick building began. The structure was to be a three-naved hall church in the typical North German Brick Gothic style. This building stood until the middle of the 19th century, undergoing changes, expansions, and withstanding several partial destructions. The tower, which

1480-518: Was heavily involved in all of the theological debates that were fought out in the city, especially during the Reformation . After the minister Henning Kissenbrügge resigned in 1524, the residents chose as minister Johannes Bugenhagen , a profiled Reformer and confidant to Martin Luther . The conservative city council was able to prevent his appointment by making Kissenbrügge stay. However, they could not stop

1520-412: Was no longer permitted, firewalls and fireproof gables were mandated and regulations applied to chimneys and sources of ignition, and streets were widened. Merchants increasingly built separate warehouses near the docks, moved their residences to the suburbs, and from the 1880s on, constructed dedicated buildings called Kontorhäuser for their businesses. Lindley spearheaded the construction of sewers and

1560-637: Was removed in 1930. The remaining parts can be found at Holstenwall/Sievekingplatz today. The two large flagpoles are remnants of this ensemble. Also today, the Heinrich Heine Monument, made by Waldemar Otto , can be found on the square. Hannes Wader wrote a song about in 1989. 53°33′03″N 9°59′35″E  /  53.5508°N 9.9931°E  / 53.5508; 9.9931 Great Fire of Hamburg The great fire of Hamburg began early on 5 May 1842, in Deichstraße and burned until

1600-412: Was used to depict the magnitude of the disaster. Almost 7 million marks was raised in an international appeal to help the survivors, in which the largest donors were Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and King Louis Philippe of France. The cities of Antwerp, London, Riga, Rotterdam, and St. Petersburg donated funds. 60 German writers donated work for a fund-raising Hansa-Album . Salomon Heine , uncle of

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