In the Name of the Lord – the creepy, the mysterious and the curious behind church walls

Burned saints, desecration by foreign occupiers, devastating fires, attacks and even a suicide. If stones could talk, some of our city’s churches would need more than a thousand and one nights to tell all their stories. On my tour you will hear some of the incredible legends surrounding our main churches St. Petri, St. Katharinen and St. Jacobi. And you will discover a church that leads an almost unnoticed Cinderella existence in Hamburg’s inland port: the enchanting river boatmen’s church, affectionately known as “Flusi”.

We start at St. Jacobi, a pilgrims’ church close to the UNESCO World Heritage Kontorhaus District. In the 18th century a world-famous composer applied here for the post of cantor – and was turned down. Who, and why? Why does the church donate a set of women’s underwear every year? Who is “Kokel-Jakob”, and why is a head missing from the famous Arp Schnitger organ? We get to the bottom of these and other secrets.

Next stop: Hamburg’s oldest main church, St. Petri, in the heart of the city – scene of a ruinous acid attack. Who was the culprit and what was his motive? Which traces bear witness to one of Hamburg’s darkest chapters? Which pastor who served here was sentenced to life imprisonment, and for what? You will find out.

Our stroll continues to St. Katharinen, located by the historic Speicherstadt. What terrible fate befell the church’s patron saint? What does the legendary pirate Störtebeker have to do with St. Katharinen? And what is the story of the mysterious copper jug that adorns the altar? This riddle, too, will be solved.

After so many spine-chilling “Döntjes” (tall tales), it is time to breathe again at “Flusi”, the only river boatmen’s church in Germany, located in Hamburg’s harbour. Its unusual history – and what its founder has to do with the Advent wreath – is yet to be told.