Ev. Marktkirche St. Nikolai

The Protestant-Lutheran town church of St. Nikolai stands in the center of Rinteln. With its striking baroque dome, which replaced a pointed spire between 1788 and 1803, it is the town's unmistakable landmark, visible from afar.

History:

In 1238, the town church was consecrated to the church leader St. Nicholas. He is known from many legends as the patron saint of children and boatmen.
In the course of its eventful 760-year history, St. Nicholas Church has been renovated and redesigned inside. Around 100 years after construction began, the former basilica building was transformed into today's basic form of a three-aisled hall church without a transept. Some Romanesque parts of the previous building have been preserved, such as the south portal with the wheel window above it and the tower portal. In 1810, the floor was raised by approx. 120 cm due to the frequent flooding of the Weser, resulting in the squat impression inside the church.
During the last restoration in 1980, fragments of various paintings were rediscovered in the vaults, which give an idea of the original color scheme inside. Among other things, the evangelist symbols and the depiction of the Christian virtues of faith, hope, love and the cardinal virtue of bravery can be seen in the choir.

The current furnishings of St. Nikolai's Church date from the period after the Reformation, which was introduced in Rinteln by the Schaumburg counts in 1559.

The professor of theology Josua Stegmann (1588-1632) - guarantor of the Reformation - wrote the hymn "Ach bleib mit deiner Gnade bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ" during the times of privation of the Thirty Years' War. His portrait can be seen in the left aisle and his gravestone in the tower room.