Schelf Church St. Nikolai

There were turbulent times before and around today's Schelf Church of St. Nicholas: documents and traditions suggest that it had several antecedents. The first record of a Church can be found as early as 1217. Nine years later there is also a report of the foundation of a church - this could have been built between 1230 and 1250. But that is by no means the end of the story.

An investigation of the building reveals that the late Romanesque church was converted into a Gothic Hall church between 1300 and 1320. However, nothing can be found about the following 300 years - therefore: time jump:
In the 17th century, St. Nikolai's Church was run as a branch church of the cathedral. A lot happened during this time. First of all, the church received a new tower, which needed repairing only a short time later. A storm had loosened parts of the bell tower, which had fallen onto the church roof. This was also repaired. But that was not all: in 1670 a cracked bell was replaced. The roof and tower of the church were once again in need of renovation - donations were needed. Duke Christian Ludwig I ordered a collection for this purpose.
The tower of the Schelf Church was not in good shape and was to occupy the congregation several more times. In 1703, shortly before Christmas, a hurricane blew over Schwerin. The spire fell on the church and damaged it severely.

The development of the Shelf caused changes around the church

Duke Friedrich Wilhelm issued the order to develop the Shelf into a town and to renovate the church in the course of this. No sooner said than done. The foundation stone was laid on 15 May 1708, the 25th birthday of his younger brother Christian Ludwig. Captain of Engineers Jacob Reutz had drawn up the plans for the new church of St. Nikolai, but not everything was realized: Just as the shell of the building was finished, he died. His successor Leonhard Christoph Sturm pushed ahead with a completely different interior design. The consecration of the church followed in 1713. This was also the beginning of its purpose as the burial place of the Dukes of Mecklenburg Schwerin. Duke Friedrich Wilhelm, who had commissioned the church, did not live to see it. He died about two months earlier and was finally buried in a tomb under the altar.

During the Second World War, the Schelf Church sacrificed two bronze bells and the copper roof

Things remained turbulent: after years of continuous decline as a daughter church of the cathedral, St. Nikolai was given its own parish and congregation constitution by declaration of Duke Christian Ludwig II on 14 August 1754. They were now allowed to perform the church sacraments independently. They received funds from the ducal treasury.
In 1858, the deceased Jacob Reutz was granted his rights after all: Leonhard Christoph Sturm's fixtures were removed from the church and everything was now aligned according to the original plans. Friedrich Friese built the organ.
The Second World War in particular claimed victims for the Schelf Church: two of the three bronze bells as well as the copper roof were melted down. It was not until 1959 to 1990 that new bells were installed in the church, but made of iron instead of bronze. The interior was repainted during this time, and the facade of the church was renovated.

About the Style
In 1853, Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II appointed master builder Voss and master builder Krüger to renovate the church furnishings. Gaston Lenthe created the altarpiece and baptismal font, master carpenter Möhrer and sculptor Scholinus did the carpentry and sculpture work on the Grand Ducal Princely Lodge, and Ernst Gillmeister created the windows in grisaille. The archivist Georg Friedrich Lisch rearranged the burials in the crypt. A memorial plaque in the choir of the church now listed all the members of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin buried in the crypt. In this Neo-Gothic decoration of the church, Friedrich Franz II restaged the commemoration of his ancestors in the House of Mecklenburg. He himself is represented in the crowning sovereign coat of arms on the artistically designed ruler's stand. This is located below the organ on the west side of the church and is accessible via the tower.
The Schelf Church has continued to develop visibly up to the present day. Witness to modern times is a gas heating system. The fate of the tower, on the other hand, remains an old burden: In 1995 it also fell victim to storm damage, so that its top had to be re-roofed. Also new: two bronze bells - the iron replacement bells had finally worn out and were given more durable replacements. After 1983 and 1990, the badly damaged windows were renewed with antique glass in the style of the first glazing.