About this place
Rising above the Alter Markt in the very heart of the old town, St. Nicholas' Church is the finest work of the great Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel to grace Potsdam. Designed on the plan of a Greek cross and inspired by St. Peter's in Rome, St. Paul's in London, and the Panthéon in Paris, it was built between 1830 and 1837, though its famous drum dome was only added years later at the insistence of King Frederick William IV. The four slender corner towers are each topped by a bronze angel raising its hands to bless the city. Severely damaged in the final days of the Second World War, when the dome and entrance portico collapsed under artillery fire, the church was patiently rebuilt over decades and re-consecrated in 1981. Today its patina-green cupola stands as the unmistakable symbol of Potsdam, mirrored in the neighbouring facades of the reconstructed Alter Markt.
Key facts
- 77 metres — The full height of the church and its dome, making it the dominant landmark of the Potsdam skyline
- 216 steps — Climb up to the viewing gallery at 42 metres for a sweeping panorama over the old town and Havel
- 1981 year — Re-consecrated after decades of rebuilding following its near-destruction in April 1945
📍 Am Alten Markt 29, 14467, Potsdam