Town Church Glückstadt

As the third largest naval port in the Danish kingdom, Glückstadt was to dominate the Elbe and bring mighty Hamburg to its knees. To do this, Danish King Christian IV needed a powerful ally: the Roman goddess of luck and fate, Fortuna, who had long been considered the embodiment of the power of fate. Christian, who was the highest bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran state church of Denmark, placed her statue on the 53-meter-high church tower. A pagan goddess on top of the Christian church tower: that is something special.

The city church, which stood directly on the market square in 1623, is the city's oldest and most important building. Fortuna, the goddess of luck, is visible at the top of the 53m high tower.

Radiant white, it rises up at the edge of the market square. The decoration on the top of the church tower is probably unique in Germany: next to the Danish royal crown and the monogram of the city's founder, King Christian IV, the scantily clad pagan goddess Fortuna is enthroned there. On the outer wall of the tower hangs the anchor of an admiralty ship of the Hamburg fleet, which is reminiscent of the battles on the Elbe. Inside there are four large brass crowns, which are still fitted with real candles for events and special occasions, creating a unique atmosphere. On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the town church, it received a new organ in 2019.