A bird’s eye view over Hamburg from St Michaelis
St. Michaelis, whose tower is perhaps the most famous landmark of Hamburg, Germany, is actually the newest of Hamburg’s main churches.
The church, with its entrance marked by St. Michael slaying a writhing devil at his feet, has an unlucky history. The first church, built in 1649, was destroyed my lightening in 1750. The 18th century church that replaced it was burned to the ground in 1906.
In 1907, the current church was built, and its tower is visible from much of the city – and its bells ring out across Hamburg.
Living in Rome, I’m rather spoiled with beautiful churches at every corner of my adoptive city, so I can safely say you can give the interior a pass. But the impressive bell tower is something to visit during your time in Hamburg.
The 132 meter tower can be climbed up, or you can take the elevator up, to see unparalleled views over this northern German port city.
The viewing platform is at 82 meters, and -strangely, in my opinion – tickets for the stairs or the elevator have the same elevated price.
Still, in my family we never take the elevator if the stairs up a tower are available and no one can beg out due to a broken leg.
We got a workout climbing the 449 steep steps to the top. My youngest son, a champion sprinter, decided to sprint his way to the top. The rest of the family joined him at a more leisurely pace.
However you get there, the views from the top are impressive. The platform provides a beautiful view over the city, its monuments, and its port.
Hamburg, with its port and channels and old warehouse buildings is a good city to experience from up on high. And the views from here really are excellent.
So if you’re in Hamburg with clear skies (not always a given), be sure to climb or ride up to the top of St. Michaelis for unparalleled views over the city.
And if you are lucky to get good weather, be sure to also make a visit to the beautiful Planten un Blomen Park I wrote about in an earlier post.
Hamburg makes me think of that great Wim Wenders film I would love to see again. Was it The American Friend with Bruno Ganz? Gorgeous man! Sorry – I forgot about the bell tower!
Oooh, I never saw ‘The American Friend’. Giving me more ideas. : ) Yes, Bruno Ganz is such a versatile actor. I hate when actors are always the same in every film, but Ganz always surprises me. Liked him in ‘Pane e tulipani’, too.
Great photos that remind me of my trips to Hamburg when I lived in France. Thaank you, Kimberly.
Yes – more of a weekend trip from Paris than from California, I’d say. : )
[…] other tips on what to do in Hamburg, see my earlier posts on climbing the St Michaelis bell tower and visiting the Planten un Blomen park […]
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[…] This includes skyscraper tourism in modern cities, and – most commonly- church bell towers in old Europe. I’ve already written about climbing up to enjoy spectacular views from the vertigo-inducing bell towers of Notre Dame in Paris, St. Pierre’s in Geneva , the St. Peter’s bell tower in Riga, and St. Michaelis in Hamburg. […]
[…] more tips on what to do in Hamburg, see my earlier posts on Climbing the Michaelis church bell tower, Relaxing in the Planten un Blomen Park, Climbing aboard the Rickmer Rickmers to see what life on a […]