St. Nikolaikirche Eilenburg

The late Gothic three-aisled hall church with beautiful red brick walls dates back to 1444 in its current form. It was the place of work of the priest and hymn writer Martin Rinckart - author and composer of the well-known song "Now thank all God". In 1617, Martin Rinckart, born in Eilenburg, became archdeacon at St. Nikolai. In 1639, he saved the town from being plundered by Swedish troops.
The song is still an integral part of the Protestant repertoire and is sung across denominations in many countries around the world. Well-known composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Max Reger, Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy included the song or its melody in their works.
St. Nicholas Church is one of the oldest churches in the area. It is now the oldest building in the city center and is located directly on the Luther Trail Saxony. The first church was probably built on this site around 970/980. In 1404 the church and the surrounding cemetery were re-consecrated. In 1435 and 1535 the church was destroyed by major fires. But it was also repeatedly affected by flooding (1413, 1434, 1573, 1771, 1854).
The reconstruction of the church, which was badly damaged in 1945, is still not finished. In 2005, a restored late Gothic carved altar (from 1506) was placed on the main altar. This comes from the former hospital chapel of the city cemetery.

Eilenburg is a stop on the Luther Trail Saxony.

- Toilet available for visitors