About this place
Rising just off the Alter Markt, the Johanniskirche is the oldest parish church in Magdeburg and one of the most resilient buildings in a city that has been destroyed and rebuilt more often than almost any other in Europe. First recorded in 941, when King Otto the Great gave a church on this spot to the monks of the Moritz Monastery, it has burned, fallen and risen again through the fire of 1207, the sack of Magdeburg in 1631, and finally an Allied air raid in 1945 that left only its scorched shell and twin towers standing. Its most famous hour came in 1524, when Martin Luther himself preached here and tipped the whole city over to Protestantism. Painstakingly reconstructed and rededicated in 1999, the church no longer holds services but instead serves as a concert and event hall, while its climbable south tower offers one of the finest panoramas over the Elbe city.
Key facts
- 941 year — First mentioned when Otto the Great gave the church to the monks of the Moritz Monastery
- 1524 year — Martin Luther preached here, swinging Magdeburg over to the Reformation
- 277 steps — Spiral up the south tower to a viewing platform 52 metres above the old town
📍 Johannisbergstraße 1, 39104, Magdeburg