Anklam - Nikolaikirche

Anklam was originally a Wendish fortress, as there was a Scandinavian and Wendish settlement here in the early Middle Ages.

Later the town became part of the Duchy of Pomerania. During the German eastward expansion, the abandoned fortress was developed into a settlement. The town has significance as a shipping port on the river Peene. It was elevated to the status of a town in 1244 and joined the Hanseatic League in the same year and prospered through membership.

The town suffered greatly during the Thirty Years' War when Swedish and imperial troops fought over it for twenty years. During this and subsequent wars, the town was repeatedly ravaged by fires and the plague. After the war, Anklam became part of Swedish Pomerania in 1648 but in 1676 it was conquered by Frederick William of Brandenburg.

In 1713 Anklam was sacked by soldiers of the Russian Empire. With the Stockholm Treaty of 1720, the southern parts of the town were ceded to Prussia, while a smaller part north of the Peene remained Swedish.
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The building, begun around 1280, was completed by the end of the 14th century. It is named after Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of sailors and merchants. The Nikolaikirches a purely Gothic building. Until its destruction, the church was considered a landmark of Anklam and was a pilot sign visible from afar, as the tower reached a height of 103 metres.

The interior was decorated with valuable furnishings. Despite being removed from storage during WWII, some parts are still missing today. Others, such as the magnificent candlesticks, the apostle bell and parts of the choir stalls, are now in the Marienkirche.

The destruction of the church did not occur until 29 April 1945, when German shells hit the town, which was already occupied by the Red Army. In the process, the spire collapsed into the nave. The church was partially burnt out, only the tower stump and the surrounding walls with free pillars and segmental arches remained standing.

After the war, the ruins were provisionally secured.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the situation of the building became increasingly critical, there was a danger of collapse. Anklam citizens joined together to form an association for the promotion of the church. From 1995 to 1996, the nave was provided with an emergency roof and secured.

A church dedicated to St. Nicholas near the Baltic Sea seems incomplete without a votive ship. Here it hangs under the temporary roof.