Nikolai Church Meissen

The Nikolai Church, which stands on the Triebisch River, serves as a place of worship for the Evangelical Lutheran congregation of St. Afra. The church was first mentioned in a document in 1220 and is thus one of the oldest buildings in Meissen. Initially, the church was used as a parish church for the surrounding fishing villages and later as a cemetery chapel. In 1929, it was converted by the state porcelain manufactory into a memorial for the dead of the First World War that is unique in the world. In order to create a lasting memory of the fallen, the artistic director of the porcelain manufactory, Professor Paul E. Börner, made the world's largest figures from Meissen porcelain as well as porcelain wall plaques with the names of the approximately 1800 fallen of the city. The figures, up to 2.5 meters high, show mourning mothers and the wall plaques are also framed by crying children and mourning mothers.

 

Visits and guided tours are possible by arrangement with the parish office.