St. Stephen's Church, Tangermünde

During the late Middle Ages the construction took place in several phases of today's triple-aisled Gothic hall church.

The inside of the choir and the ambulatory are divided by compound piers consisting of massive circular columns each with four ancillary shafts, which support the prominent vaulting.

In 1617, a city-wide fire damaged the church building and the top part of the north tower collapsed.

It was not restored until after 1714, when the tower received its present Baroque roof, the wooden structure of which was completely refurbished at the end of the 20th century.

The fire of 1617 also caused destruction to the interior of the church: the galleries, pulpit, choir stalls and the organ had all to be restored, and the damaged altar was not replaced until 1705.

It has been attributed to the sculptor Christoph Dehne of Magdeburg and clearly shows the influence of both the late Renaissance and the Mannerist styles.

In 1705, the main Baroque altarpiece was introduced; it is extremely large, and unique in its sheer size in the Altmark region.

Opposite the chapel entrance is hung a painting of 1697 of "Christ before the High Council" on the back wall of the choir stalls.

[1] Its design, consisting of a main organ, a Rückpositiv and bass pipes, is a clear example of the Scherers' construction technique known as the "Hamburg Prospekt".