Sunday 14 May 2017

Steinkirchen

In June 2016 we were touring North Germany and came across references to the Baroque churches of the Altes Land near Hamburg. This is Protestant country and I did not know what to expect. We drove through  a small town with rain bucketing down. I had to use an umbrella just to walk a few feet to enter a centrally placed church. Imagine my surprise seeing this church interior ! Galleries and wonderful wooden decoration! The organ was being tuned - alas!St Martin and Nicholas goes back to 1148 and was unusual  because it was built of stone (hence Steinkirchen) not the usual wood. A major reconstruction took place 1687-1785 with its Baroque make-over. The galleries come from this time  and a wooden bell tower in 1696. The organ by Arp Schnitger was inaugurated in 1687, replacing one from 1581. This Schnitger gem has 5 registers from previous organs.






 Lübeck - Praeambulum in F - S. Tcherepanov




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