Nikolai Church, Leipzig
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
The St. Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas' Church) is an ecclesiastical building in Leipzig in front of which the Monday Demonstrations took place in 1989. Its current administration staff F. Pörner (Leader of the parish council) and C. Führer (Leader of the church office) realise its importance in the place of recent German history. The motto "St. Nicholas - open to all" attracts thousands of people to the site each year. It was built in around 1165 when Leipzig, or St. Nicholas' City was founded. It is named after the patron saint of merchants and wholesalers and is situated as one would expect in the very heart of the city on the corner of two important trade roads. It is built partially in a Romanesque style but was extended and enlarged in the early 16th century, taking on a more Gothic style. The interior was remodelled by French architect J. C.F. Dauthe in a classicalistic style. The church has been a protestant seat since 1539 after Martin Luther's European Catholic Reformation. The church organ is one of the best examples of the 'romantic' style of organ-building in Europe and was updated with pneumatic pipes in the early 20th century. More recently the church has been struggling to find the funds for interior restorations which have been ongoing since 1968.
