St. Nicholas Church, Historic Centre of Freiberg

St. Nicholas Church, located on the Buttermarkt, is one of the oldest churches in Freiberg. It has two Romanesque towers to the west; these were rebuilt around 1530 and 1631 respectively. Construction started on the church soon after Freiberg was founded. St. Nicholas Church served as the parish church for the later settlement, which housed Freiberg’s craftsmen and merchants. The large, original hall church burned down several times in the course of devastating city fires. And it did so again in the last major conflagration in 1484.
The three-aisle nave was built in the early 16th century; a flat coffered ceiling was added between 1560 and 1600. From 1750 onwards, the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style, including parts of the exterior. The rococo pulpit [1752], the high altar [1752] and the baptismal font [1753] all date from this time. Of the organ, which was installed in 1845, only the prospect remains.
The church was deconsecrated in 1976, and, passing into city ownership, was subsequently used as a warehouse. In the south tower, a bell crafted in 1487 at the famous Hilliger family bell foundry in Freiberg is still preserved.
Archaeological investigations were undertaken between 1990 and 1996, and the church was subsequently renovated and restored, in line with monument protection standards, and turned into a city concert and events centre.