The Nikolai Church in the center of the Hanseatic city of Anklam, very close to the river Peene, is one of the few preserved witnesses of brick Gothic architecture from Anklam's founding period 750 years ago. With the gallery of the "coat of arms windows of the Hanseatic League", a unique monument for Europe is created in the Nikolaikirche.
St. Nicholas Church was built in honor of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, fishermen and merchants in Gothic-Hanseatic architecture and completed in the second half of the 15th century. The church, was for centuries the emblem of the city and symbol of freedom and prosperity of the Hanseatic citizens. The then 103 m high church tower - once a pilot's mark - greeted sailors from far away on the Oderhaff.
Due to the bombardments of Anklam at the end of the Second World War, the church was completely destroyed except for the surrounding walls. In order to prevent the threatening decay, the Förderkreis Nikolaikirche Anklam e. V. was founded in 1994. Since 1995, the church has been gradually rebuilt. Already in 1999 the building was open to the public again. Today, the former baptistery of Lilienthal is an exhibition and event center. Changing exhibitions are dedicated to the "dream of flying" and the son of the Hanseatic city of Anklam Otto-Lilienthal. Today, the church tower is accessible again and leads to the highest vantage point of the city. From there, the Peene valley can be admired in all its beauty. In the future, the "Ikareum" project is to be realized in the church, an event and visitor center linked to the Otto Lilienthal Museum.
The Nikolaikirche Anklam is open from May to October. The Otto Lilienthal Museum also offers guided tours in the church.
