Church of St. Lawrence, Salzwedel

The parish church of St. Lawrence was built in about 1250 in the transitional style between the Romanesque and Gothic periods. Despite its turbulent history, the basic features of the original three-nave basilica have remained unchanged.

The architecture borrowed from and was inspired by churches from the area between Bremen and Lehnin in Brandenburg. The last in a long series of ambitious Romanesque brick churches, this is a prime example of the well-honed skill of producing all the structural elements from fired clay. In addition, the red brick building draws its particular character from its black glazed decorative stones combined with white plastered surfaces and blind niches. Thanks to its restoration between 1962 and 1964, when the northern side aisle was rebuilt on the Romanesque foundation walls, St. Lawrence’s has largely recovered its mediaeval character. With the exception of the architectural sculpture, the mediaeval ornamentation has not survived. Of particular interest is the ancient-looking west porch. The interior now houses several late Gothic figures from St. Nicholas’ church in Salzwedel, which was demolished in 1797.