MAHNMAL ST. NIKOLAI (SAINT-NICOLAS MEMORIAL)

Once one of Hamburg's main churches, St. Nicholas was ravaged by the bombing of July 1943, which destroyed 70% of the Hanseatic city. After the war, the city left it untouched as a memorial warning of the consequences of war, like the Church of Remembrance (Gedächtniskirche) in Berlin. It is a striking place, with the ruins of the neo-Gothic church leaning against the tower that still stands, as well as a few sections of wall, displaying some simple and beautiful memorial artworks. One statue depicts a man crying, collapsed on the ruins. In the crypt, an exhibition recounts the destruction of what was the highest church in the city with its 147-meter tower. The highlight of the visit: the tower has been converted into a viewing platform. You can take a transparent elevator to a platform at a height of 76 meters and enjoy a breathtaking view of Hamburg and the harbor. The St. Nicholas Church synthesizes the tragic history of the city and its "postmodern" reconversion.

Historical background.Operation Gomorrah was the code name for a series of air raids carried out in the summer of 1943 by British and American bombers on the city of Hamburg. These air raids cost the lives of more than 34,000 civilians and wiped out a large part of the historic center.