Visit the oldest church in Berlin - the Nikolaikirche

Originally a late-Romanesque basilica, the Nikolaikirche – as with all churches in the area – was conceived as a Roman Catholic place of worship. At the time of the construction of the church – before this region was known as Germany, or Prussia – or even the city of Berlin recognised – it would lie in the territory of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. An area simultaneously ruled over by two brothers – John I and Otto III – allied with the powers in Rome. During their joint-reign; John and Otto would increase the power of this region, from a seemingly insignificant sandy backwater settlement, to acquire the indisputable right to vote in the election of the King of the Germans, consolidating their joint role within the Holy Roman Empire.

When this region officially embraced the ideas of the Protestant Reformation in 1539, the Nikolaikirche would be converted for use by a Lutheran congregation. It would serve in this capacity for a further 399 years – when in 1938, five years after the Nazi takeover, it was deconsecrated due to the declining number of parishioners in the area. The industrialisation of Berlin and the commercialisation of the centre of the city had driven many people into the suburban districts, leaving the church largely isolated in the centre of the capital.

When the Second World War in Europe ended in May 1945, the Nikolaiviertel fell into the hands of the Soviet administration, eventually becoming part of East Berlin – and the German Democratic Republic, in 1949. As a result of the damage inflicted on the area during the war – the Nikolaikirche was reduced to the solitary stump of the tower circled by a few surviving surrounding walls. Until eventually, in 1981, the East German regime began to reconstruct the building based on old plans.