St. Nicholas' Church, Potsdam (must see)

St. Nicholas Church is one of Potsdam’s most iconic landmarks. Its distinctive dome can be seen throughout the city. Frederick William III commissioned the church, which was designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and built from 1830 to 1837. It was designed to replace the old St. Nicholas church that burned down in 1795. Christopher Wren’s acclaimed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London inspired the Classicist church with Italian flair.

The church’s original design looked like a cube. The church’s appearance was completely altered when the dome was added between 1843 and 1850. The dramatic tambour is 77 meters high (253 feet). The church’s interior is 52 meters high (171 feet).

The church was damaged during World War II bombs and rebuilt. Today, St. Nicholas Church is open to the public and often hosts concerts. In addition, visitors can climb the tower to enjoy spectacular views of the city from the 42-meter tall (138-foot) viewing platform.

Image Courtesy of Flickr and Andy Hay.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Potsdam. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: St. Nicholas' Church
Sight Location: Potsdam, Germany (See walking tours in Potsdam)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Potsdam Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Potsdam, Germany

Create Your Own Walk in Potsdam

Creating your own self-guided walk in Potsdam is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Potsdam Introduction Walking Tour

Potsdam was likely founded during the seventh century by the Hevelli tribe. The town was mentioned by the name of Poztupimi in a document from Emperor Otto III. The name likely came from an old Western Slavonic term roughly meaning "beneath the oaks."

By the early 1300s, a small town had formed with a town charter. By 1573 the town had around 2,000 people living there. Potsdam rose to... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles

Neuer Garten Walking Tour

Laid out at the behest of Friedrich William II in 1787, Potsdam's Neuer Garten (New Garden) was indeed "new" compared to the already in place Sanssouci Park.

Between 1816 and 1828, the area was modified further as an English-style, open landscape garden, with an aim to reproduce nature – trees and plants were left to grow naturally, unshaped and untrimmed. Rural life was also... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles

Sanssouci Park Walking Tour

Sanssouci Park is a unique Potsdam landmark that occupies 290 hectares in the heart of the city. The Park is named after the Sanssouci Palace that it surrounds, which in turn takes its name from the French phrase "sans souci", which means carefree, and implies that the palace was designated as a place of fun, rather than a seat of power.

Indeed, the Sanssouci Palace was built in 1747... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles