Alte Nikolaikirche

The Alte Nikolaikirche at Römerberg 11 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is a small Gothic church on the south side of the Römerberg square. Its origins go back to the 13th century, and the building was reshaped in the 14th and 15th centuries into the form it has today. The church was the council church of the city, and for centuries the town council attended services here, which gave it a close link with the Römer on the opposite side of the square. It stands with its short tower and decorative gable in the middle of the old-town ensemble, beside the reconstructed half-timbered houses. The building is a hall church of modest size with a pointed roof and tracery windows, a design that fits the medieval mercantile city where it was built. In the Second World War the air raids of 1944 damaged the church, as they did the rest of the old town, and it was repaired and restored in the following years. Inside, the space is simple and used for services and small concerts. The church is also known for its carillon, which plays daily and is a familiar sound in the square, particularly at midday. Because the interior is limited and opening times are set days, visitors usually enjoy the building from the outside first and enter when it is open. The church is Protestant and part of a parish that organises regular services and events. It offers a quiet contrast to the crowds of the Römerberg and the Christmas market. Together with the Römer and the Kaiserdom, which are only minutes away, it gives a clear picture of how civic and religious life were linked in the medieval city. Hours are posted on the parish website and at the tourist information, and a short stop is enough to see the interior and the surrounding square.