shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileGermany

on the Hopfenmarkt in old Hamburg

St. Nicholas Church, Hamburg

Name: St. Nicholas Church, Hamburg — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — a spire the city kept on purpose.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“What is left of St. Nikolai stands in the middle of the old town as a memorial. The 147-metre spire still rises over Hamburg, but the nave below it is open to the sky — the church was burned out in the firestorm of Operation Gomorrah, July 1943. The city did not rebuild. The hollow remains as the city's memorial against war.

from the studio

— bring it home

St. Nicholas Church, Hamburg, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about St. Nicholas Church, Hamburg

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

St. Nikolai stands on the Hopfenmarkt in Hamburg's Altstadt, beside the Nikolaifleet canal. The Gothic Revival church, designed by the English architect George Gilbert Scott, was consecrated in 1863 after the medieval St. Nikolai was lost in the Great Fire of 1842. Its 147-metre spire made it the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876, and it remains the second-tallest church in Germany. The nave was destroyed during Allied bombing in Operation Gomorrah in late July 1943. The tower, crypt, and a fragment of wall were preserved as a memorial.

— informed by Wikipedia — St. Nikolai, Hamburg

— the stone

Scott's design is a high Gothic Revival in dark brick and pale sandstone, with a slender central spire that for two years held the world's tallest-building title. The bombing on the nights of 24 to 30 July 1943 collapsed the roof and the nave but left the tower largely standing, in part because the spire's open ironwork passed the shock through. The fragment of the south wall now reads as a sculpture in itself. A glass elevator built into the tower lifts visitors to a viewing platform at 75.3 metres above the square.

— informed by Mahnmal St. Nikolai — official

— the visit

The site is open as Mahnmal St. Nikolai, free to enter, with the crypt museum and the tower elevator carrying a small fee. The museum sits underneath the former nave and traces the air war against Hamburg and the city's reconstruction, including survivor testimony. The viewing platform shows the harbour to the southwest, the Speicherstadt warehouses to the south, and the Rathaus to the north. The site is a short walk from the Rathausmarkt and the Nikolaifleet promenade.

— informed by Mahnmal St. Nikolai — visitor info

— where

Germany · Altstadt, Hamburg

— position

53.5478° N · 9.9907° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

0.6 km S

Speicherstadt

warehouse district

0.4 km N

Hamburg Rathaus

city hall

1.1 km SW

Elbphilharmonie

concert hall

St. Nicholas Church, Hamburg

Speicherstadt

Hamburg Rathaus

Elbphilharmonie

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about St. Nicholas Church, Hamburg — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The nave was destroyed in Allied bombing during Operation Gomorrah in late July 1943. After the war, Hamburg chose not to rebuild and preserved the tower and crypt as a memorial against war.

The spire rises to 147.3 metres. From 1874 to 1876 St. Nikolai was the tallest building in the world, and it remains the second-tallest church in Germany after Ulm Minster.

The English Gothic Revival architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, after the medieval St. Nikolai was destroyed in Hamburg's Great Fire of 1842. The new church was consecrated in 1863.

Yes. Mahnmal St. Nikolai is free to enter, with paid access to the crypt museum and a glass elevator that lifts visitors to a viewing platform at 75.3 metres in the tower.

The crypt museum documents the air war against Hamburg, the firestorm of July 1943, and the city's postwar reconstruction, with survivor testimony and original photographs.

On the Hopfenmarkt in Hamburg's Altstadt, beside the Nikolaifleet canal, a short walk from the Rathaus, the Speicherstadt warehouse district, and the Elbphilharmonie on the harbour.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for Hamburgers and for anyone who has stood under the spire. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio reads as recognition of the city's memorial.

The dark brick and stained-glass palette sits with old-world European, warm minimalist, and library-toned rooms. It also reads well against deep green, slate, or oxblood walls.

Yes. The Gothic Revival mass and restrained colour register read well in the current move toward quieter rooms with antique brass, dark wood, and limewash walls.

Above a standard sofa, a Large holds the wall. For a wider feature wall, a four-tile Mural fills the field; a nine-tile Mural reads architectural above a long console.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any wet or splash-prone wall. Both are scratch-resistant and read calm under indirect light.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. No abrasive sponge, no glass cleaner, no ammonia. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift with regular cleaning.

Yes. Reid Wender curates the WenderVista atlas from a single studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nothing is licensed in, and nothing is licensed out.

— if this one stayed with you