Fleckenskirche St. Nikolaus

Some of the donors were merchants who lived under the protection of the castle on their way from Osnabrück to Münster and venerated St. Nicholas as their patron saint. 

During renovation work in the mid-1970s, two narrow Gothic windows from the 14th century were uncovered on the west side. The old men's portal on the south side and the women's portal on the north side were also uncovered during the work. While the portal for the men consisted of a Gothic pointed arch, the women had to make do with a simple rectangular entrance. 

History:

• The Fleckenskirche is said to be the oldest hall church in the Osnabrück region.
• It was probably founded in 1226 by Bishop Engelbert I (1239-50) for the settlement below the castle, the Flecken and the Burgmannen. It was partly financed by merchants who lived under the protection of the castle on their way from Osnabrück to Münster and worshipped St. Nicholas as their patron saint.
• From 1255 to 1807, it was the parish church of the citizens, but was later to be demolished and used as a quarry. However, the citizens overruled this decision. In 1837, the church became a branch church of St. Clemes and was used for weekday services and funerals.