St. Nicolai is a late Gothic hall church that was built by the citizens of Kalkar with the help of the Duke of Kleve and the Kalkar Brotherhood of Our Lady after a fire in 1409. To this end, Kalkar was separated from Altkalkar as a parish in 1441.

The wealthy dowager duchess Mary of Burgundy (+ 1463) promoted the Marienbaum monastery and the Kalkar Dominican monastery as well as St. Nicolai from her widow’s residence on the Monreberg hill in Kalkar. Breweries, the wool trade, membership of the Hanseatic League, direct access to the Rhine at that time, and its own rights and jurisdiction promoted Kalkar’s prosperity between 1450 and 1570.

Brotherhoods and guilds, as well as clergy and wealthy families, donated altars and promoted the training of priests to serve them.

1409-1450: Construction of the current three-nave hall after a fire destroyed the previous church.

Until 1570: Extensive furnishings during the town’s heyday.

Around 1900: Extensive restoration.

1945-1949: Removal of war damage.

1998-2000: Renovation and refurbishment work, redesign of the interior.

2000-2020: Replacement of the church windows, designed by Karl-Martin Hartmann, realized by Derix Glasstudio from Taunusstein.

The Förderverein St. Nicolai e.V. (Friends of St. Nicolai Association) played a major role in the successful financing of the 22 new stained glass windows and also made this digital church guide possible. If you would like to support the work of the association, we would be very grateful.