It is one of the earliest examples of the introduction of the cathedral pattern of northern France into the Brick Gothic architecture of the Baltic region.

[1] As part of the historic centre of Stralsund, St. Nicholas Church was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2002.

A council church was not just a place of worship, but was also the location for holding board meetings, receiving ambassadors, announcing laws and regulations, handling legal cases, and preserving city archives.

During the American bombing of Stralsund on October 6, 1944, the roof and windows of St. Nicholas Church were damaged.

On June 1, 1523, the Protestant reformer Christian Ketelhot preached for the first time in St. Nicholas Church.

The city council turned a blind eye to this, especially because some councillors and the mayor himself had converted to Protestantism.

The conflict escalated during the autumn of 1524, when the Dominican lector Wilhelm Lowe was dragged from the pulpit and abused.

During World War II the altar was removed from the church and stowed in a safe place, but it was nevertheless partially destroyed.

The central part of the 6.70 wide by 4.20 meters high altar shows the crucifixion of Christ.

The wings and the central part feature numerous carved figures, all depicting the story of the Passion.

In the north ambulatory, there is a statue of Anna Selbdritt (Virgin and Child with Saint Anne) dating back to the late 13th century.

In addition to day and night times, the positions of the sun, moon, and fixed stars can also be read off the clock.

[citation needed] Four oak reliefs from the altar of the Stralsund merchants who travelled to Riga for conducting trade still remain.

Usually such reliefs contain religious imagery, but the remaining remnants of the pew of the Riga merchants' guild are on purely secular themes.

Three of the four reliefs show Russians, with their characteristic long beards and wearing fur, hunting and harvesting honey and resin (products which were shipped from Riga to Stralsund).

The Berlin painter August Grimmer painted the leaf decorations in the arcades of the choir.