Exhibition and Viewing Tower

“Behold the Man” is the name of the artwork hanging in the open choir. It depicts the scene of a Roman soldier offering a sponge soaked in vinegar to Jesus on the cross. The black and white mosaic was created in 1977 under the direction of Sergio Cicognani of Ravenna, based on a design by the expressionist artist Oscar Kokoschka.

The colored version, entitled “Behold the People”, hangs above the altar of the Church of St. Nikolai at Klosterstern – as a bridge between the old St. Nikolai and the new one. The interpretation of the motif, a representation of humanity and solidarity, can be found in the tower hall of the ruin. It is also the memorial’s message: „Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die.“ (Proverbs 31: 8, New King James Version).

The “Female Angel” is between two pillars on Neue Burg, directly behind the apse. Barbara Haeger, a sculptor, painter, graphic artist, and poet, created it in 1960, and the diocese acquired the bronze figure in 1972 for the St. Nikolai Memorial. It is a figural sculpture, modeled and cast.

Barbara Haeger studied sculpture in Frankfurt am Main, Berlin and Hamburg. She had studios in Paris, New York and Hamburg. After 1953 she won several commissions in Hamburg in the “Kunst am Bau” competitions. Her “Große Liegende” can be found in front of the Grindelhochhäuser and the “Große Stehende” at the Christianeum. Inspired by Henry Moore, she later broke away from figural representation and turned to abstract work on the theme of destruction.

In the apse of the southern nave is a bronze figure, sculpted by Edith Breckwoldt in 2004. “Prüfung” (the Ordeal) is a representation of the confrontation with extreme situations. The sculptor dedicated the work to the Sandbostel Memorial Site, located west of Hamburg. It was one of Nazi Germany’s largest prisoner-of-war camps, where more than 50,000 people from different countries died.

The base is made of bricks from the prisoner barracks, collected by students from Sandbostel on the former camp grounds. The inscription on a bronze plate in the base of the sculpture quotes the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “No one in the whole world can change the truth. One can only seek it, find it and serve it. Truth is in every place.”

“Take my hand and I will lead you back to you” is the inscription on the base of this bronze figure, “Earth Angel”, which stands in the forecourt. It was created in 2003 by sculptor Edith Breckwoldt for the St. Nikolai Memorial and donated to the Friends Association. The work is an expression of the idea that all strength and all knowledge rest in man himself. It conveys the message that this core is attainable, once one has found themselves and inner peace. The artist wants to express that this core is the basis of togetherness and peace among the people of the world.

The sculpture is six meters high. The inscription is in eight languages. The artist thus makes the central meaning of the statement of her sculpture accessible to viewers from as many countries as possible.

The installation “Prospekt. Einblick und Aussicht” (Prospect. Insight and Outlook) highlights little-seen sculptures on the facade of the tower. The project was undertaken in 2017 by photographer Nic Fey and the architects at acollage. architektur urbanistic, and consists of two parts.

The first part is the prospectus, a textile screen that hangs in the tower at a height of 34 meters, printed with photographs of the sculptures. While riding the elevator, one can see through the canvas to the Hopfenmarkt. Depending on lighting conditions, either the photos or the city comes to the fore. The second part is at the main entrance of the church in the tower, where alternating figures are displayed on a picture board. The installation ties the memorial to the city, since the Hopfenmarkt was originally the church forecourt where markets were held.