St. Mary's Church in Bad Segeberg

Time-lapse video of the construction of the organ

Altar

Pulpit

Memorial plaque with insignia of Marquardt von Pentz

Baptismal font

Triumphal Cross

Rantzau memorial stone

St. John's Chapel

Wood relief

Altar window

John Window

View into the interior of the organ

Baroque epitaph

Chandelier

Murder at Siegesburg

Epitaph Stable Master

Construction history of St. Mary's Church

Organ tour

Guided tour of the BACH organ by Claudius Winterhalter (2025) in St. Mary's Church, Bad Segeberg

Historic flooring

Memorial plaques for fallen soldiers - West wall

Memorial plaques for fallen soldiers - East wall

Window north side

Construction of the organ

Friends of St. Mary's Church Association

Winterhalter organ

Instructions for using this 3D tour

Selecting the tour view: there are three ways to view the 3D tour: Clicking the PLAY button at the bottom left starts the highlight tour, which provides an automated guided tour through the scanned nave—similar to a video, except that viewers can explore the entire building themselves at any time by clicking on the respective view again. Clicking the PLAY button again continues the highlight tour. Clicking the tilted L-shaped menu item takes viewers to the 3D model of the church. Clicking the L-shaped menu item takes viewers to the floor plan view. If you are in the floor plan or the 3D model, a double-click anywhere is enough to return to the normal view.

Donor boards

Gallery of structural damage - the church interior

Gallery of structural damage - the tower

Just like in the local church

Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor

Live recording 2025 - Winterhalter organ in Bad Segeberg

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Winterhalter organ

A sonic and architectural work of art with 3,278 pipes, 48 tones, and three manuals. Built by Claudius Winterhalter, it combines German Romanticism with French influence. The return to mechanical action ensures a sophisticated playing experience. Modern electronic register circuits enable efficient storage and retrieval of sound combinations – significantly expanding the range for large organ works and improvisations. Its case forms a deliberate counterpart to the altar and blends harmoniously into the church space. Ceremoniously inaugurated on May 18, 2025 – with an expected lifespan of up to 250 years, it will be an instrument for generations.

Further information can be found in the commemorative publication for the organ inauguration: “3000 Pipes for a Hallelujah” – available in Segeberg bookstores and in the parish.
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St. Mary's Church in Bad Segeberg
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Aerial view of St. Mary's Church
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altar the gothic altarpiece in st. mary's church is considered one of the most beautiful altarpieces in schleswig-holstein. it was created around 1515 in a lübeck workshop by an unknown master. the passion altarpiece has four wings and depicts the passion of jesus christ. here you see the festive view with over 230 sculptures. by folding back the outer wings, two further views can be revealed, showing baroque emblems with biblical quotations. Altar pulpit in 1612, the segeberg bailiff , knight marquardt von pentz , and his wife anna donated the pulpit. it is designed in the late renaissance style. two medallions with portraits of the donors are located on the sounding board. a memorial plaque for the donor is located on the back of the pillar. Pulpit memorial plaque with insignia of marquardt von pentz marquart von pentz died in 1627 during the thirty years' war. his son had him buried in st. mary's church and honored him and his wife with a bronze plaque praising his life and deeds in latin. above the plaque are the knight's helmet, commander's staff, and spurs. Memorial plaque with insignia of Marquardt von Pentz baptismal font the bronze baptismal font was created in 1447 by the bremen bell founder ghert klinghe . klinghe was considered one of the finest masters of bronze casting at the time. the font's shape resembles an inverted bell. supported by four clergymen, the bronze basin features a relief of the crucified christ between mary and john. the twelve apostles with their attributes follow the curve of the font. their names are inscribed within their halos. Baptismal font triumphal cross high above the steps to the choir hangs the late gothic triumphal cross. it was crafted from oak around 1500 by an unknown lübeck master. Triumphal Cross rantzau memorial stone in 1562, heinrich rantzau commissioned this memorial plaque in memory of his grandfather , gert walstorp . the inscription on the upper beam, in low german, reads: " hir licht gerdt walstorp. " below the image of the knight, in latin, it reads: " heinrich rantzau, son of the famous knight johann rantzau, governor of this castle, erected [this monument] to his maternal grandfather, gerhard walstorp, at the pious request of his mother." Rantzau memorial stone st. john's chapel st. john's chapel is accessible through the door in the chancel. the chapel was likely added around 1450 as a convent (meeting room) or sacristy for the augustinian canons. it is now used as a chapel. above the altar is a baroque painting depicting the last supper. this painting was originally located in front of the altar's base in the church. next to the church entrance is a small wooden relief, a fragment of an earlier memorial plaque. it depicts the annunciation of the immaculate conception by an angel. the cat in the foreground symbolizes domesticity. St. John's Chapel wood relief next to the entrance to the church is a small wooden relief, a fragment of an earlier memorial plaque. it depicts the annunciation of the conception of mary by an angel. the cat in the foreground symbolizes domesticity. Wood relief altar window the provost of fontenay donated the window above the altar in 1910. he was already retired and thus fulfilled the long-standing wish of the parishioners, who had previously been blinded by the morning sun. it displays an ornamental, so-called "carpet pattern" without any figurative representations. Altar window john window the window on the south side of the chancel depicts the apostle john. the daughter of city councillor kühne donated the window in 1908 in memory of her father. John Window baroque epitaph laurentius hartung was pastor of st. mary's church from 1686 until his death in 1710. he commissioned this image. in his time, it was customary for pastors to have such memorial plaques with baroque borders made as decorations for the church before their death. Baroque epitaph chandelier claus schnack, born in 1684, was the only jew in segeberg. as the tenant of the herrenmühle ( manor mill), he had a secure income. he attended services at st. mary's church, was baptized, married a woman from segeberg, and joined the jewish community, but remained true to his jewish faith. on the south side of st. mary's church stands the tomb of claus schnack, a jewish citizen who died in 1738. his widow donated one of the baroque chandeliers in 1754; a second chandelier was donated in 1783 by his daughter from the family estate. Chandelier murder at siegesburg an unusual image for a church: it depicts the murder of count adolf vi in 1315. a knight, disguised as a hunter, enters the castle and kills the count. the painting also shows the knight's journey to the pope to obtain absolution. many legends surround this murder. heinrich rantzau commissioned this painting in 1595, presumably in response to the numerous stories circulating among the population. Murder at Siegesburg epitaph stable master the memorial plaque is dedicated to christopher setzel , the stable master of the castle on the kalkberg, who died in 1586. the image is the oldest epitaph in the church. Epitaph Stable Master construction history of st. mary's church construction began in 1156. the church originated as the monastery church of the augustinian canons regular . it belongs to the so-called founder churches, built during the christianization of europe. the commission was given by emperor lothair iii to the missionary and church leader vicelin . previously, brick construction had been introduced in northern italy, and monks were recruited there to impart their brickmaking skills to the north. this sparked a lively brick building boom – st. mary's church in lübeck and ratzeburg cathedral were built almost simultaneously. the waldemar wall near haithabu is also a work of this period. a special feature of the segeberg church is its use of brick vaults, the first of their kind; the vault above the baptismal font dates back to the 11th century. construction time preserved. the capitals and ornaments on the masonry are not made of limestone, but cast from high-fired gypsum, which is very durable due to a special firing process. Construction history of St. Mary's Church historic flooring at the first pillar on the north side, a small section of the original church floor can be seen: a mosaic made of bricks salvaged from misfires. darker bricks, fired at too high a temperature, became clinker bricks; others were not hard enough or were broken. the elaborate two-year production process ensured the sustainable use of these architectural remnants. Historic flooring memorial plaques for fallen soldiers - west wall on the west wall are memorial plaques for the victims of world war i. on the opposite side is the plaque for victims of the 1848–1851 war between denmark and germany, also known as the schleswig-holstein uprising. next to it hang two memorial plaques commemorating the victims of the german-danish war (1864). the three memorial books below the plaques contain the names of the german soldiers killed in world war ii. Memorial plaques for fallen soldiers - West wall memorial plaques for fallen soldiers - east wall on the east wall is the memorial plaque for victims of the war of 1848–1851 between denmark and germany, also known as the schleswig-holstein uprising. next to it hang two memorial plaques commemorating the victims of the second schleswig war (1864). the three memorial books below the plaques contain the names of german soldiers killed in the second world war. on the opposite wall are the memorial plaques for the victims of the first world war. Memorial plaques for fallen soldiers - East wall window north side two brothers of heinrich wickel, the founder of the segeberg salt baths, donated the window in the north transept in 1909. it depicts emperor lothair iii , who in 1134 ordered the construction of the siegesburg (victory castle) on the kalkberg (chalk hill), thus initiating the development of the town at the foot of the hill. Window north side friends of st. mary's church association the friends of st. mary's church association in bad segeberg has been committed to preserving and redesigning the interior of the over 870-year-old st. mary's church since 2015. its goal is to support the evangelical lutheran congregation of segeberg through financial, material, and moral support, particularly in the maintenance and upkeep of the new organ. the friends' association welcomes new members who would like to contribute to the preservation of this unique cultural monument and its musical tradition. in addition to membership, donations can also be made directly to the preservation of the church and the construction of a new organ. donations are tax-deductible—up to 20% of your income—and thus reduce your tax burden by the amount of your individual tax rate. further information on support options can be found on the website of the friends association - https://marienkirche-foerderverein.de/ Friends of St. Mary's Church Association winterhalter organ a sonic and architectural work of art with 3,278 pipes, 48 tones, and three manuals. built by claudius winterhalter, it combines german romanticism with french influence. the return to mechanical action ensures a sophisticated playing experience. modern electronic register circuits enable efficient storage and retrieval of sound combinations – significantly expanding the range for large organ works and improvisations. its case forms a deliberate counterpart to the altar and blends harmoniously into the church space. ceremoniously inaugurated on may 18, 2025 – with an expected lifespan of up to 250 years, it will be an instrument for generations. further information can be found in the commemorative publication for the organ inauguration: “3000 pipes for a hallelujah” – available in segeberg bookstores and in the parish. Winterhalter organ donor boards sign of solidarity and responsibility these donor plaques are more than just a list of names—they are an expression of a deeply felt sense of community. over 1,100 dedicated individuals, 20 companies from the segeberg district, 14 non-profit organizations, 3 service clubs, 8 foundations, and funding from the european union, the federal government, and the state of schleswig-holstein have contributed to the preservation and further development of st. mary's church. in deliberately restrained design and dignified aesthetics, the plaques document this extraordinary commitment – visibly, permanently and with great gratitude. you can find more information here . Donor boards
Click here for photos & videos
time-lapse video of the construction of the organ Time-lapse video of the construction of the organ view into the interior of the organ text is still missing View into the interior of the organ construction of the organ the winterhalter organ in bad segeberg is a sonic and architectural masterpiece with 3,278 pipes, 48 tones, and three manuals. built by claudius winterhalter, it was influenced by the style of the "praying mantis." the return to mechanical action ensures a sophisticated playing experience. modern electronic register circuits enable efficient storage and retrieval of sound combinations and significantly expand the range for large organ works and improvisations. its case forms a deliberate counterpart to the altar and blends harmoniously into the church space. it was ceremoniously dedicated on may 18, 2025. with an expected lifespan of up to 250 years, it is an instrument for generations. further information can be found in the commemorative publication for the organ dedication, "3,000 pipes for a hallelujah," available from segeberg bookstores and the parish office. Construction of the organ gallery of structural damage - the church interior Gallery of structural damage - the church interior gallery of structural damage - the tower Gallery of structural damage - the tower organ tour guided tour of the bach organ by claudius winterhalter (2025) in st. mary's church, bad segeberg Organ tour toccata by charles-marie widor live recording 2025 - winterhalter organ in bad segeberg Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor
Just like in the local church
Even during the virtual tour of St. Mary's Church, you can pause, linger, and enjoy a moment of silence. Just as you would during a real visit, you have the opportunity to leave a donation. Your contribution helps us to make the beauty and history of St. Mary's Church accessible digitally, to continue our work, and at the same time to ensure the structural preservation of this unique cultural monument.

[ Donate now ]
Marienkirche Support Association
The Friends of St. Mary's Church Association in Bad Segeberg has been committed since 2015 to the preservation and enhancement of the interior of the over 870-year-old St. Mary's Church. Its aim is to support the Evangelical Lutheran parish of Segeberg through financial, material, and moral assistance, particularly with the maintenance and upkeep of the new organ.

The Friends Association welcomes new members who wish to support the preservation of this unique cultural monument and the musical tradition. In addition to membership, you can also contribute directly to the church's upkeep and the construction of the new organ through donations. Donations are tax-deductible – up to 20% of your income – thus reducing your tax burden by your individual tax rate.
Further information on support options can be found on the website of the sponsoring association:

https://marienkirche-foerderverein.de/
Organ tour
Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor
Live recording 2025 - Winterhalter organ in Bad Segeberg
Time-lapse video of the construction of the organ
360° interior views of the organ
Clicking on this preview image opens a layer containing the web gallery of interior shots. These can be opened in the right-hand navigation column by clicking on one of the small preview windows with the "Play" icon. Clicking the small "x" in the top right closes the layer containing the web gallery, allowing you to continue viewing this 3D tour.
360° interior views of the new organ
Contact
Friends of St. Mary's Church Association

04551 - 955 224
mail@marienkirche-foerderverein.de
marienkirche-foerderverein.de/
Friends of St. Mary's Church, Kirchplatz 2a, 23795 Bad Segeberg
This 3D tour was created by the Hamburg agency cp360pano.com