Konzertkirche

The Konzertkirche is the most striking building in Neubrandenburg's city centre — a gutted Gothic church that was converted into a concert hall rather than restored. The 14th-century St Mary's Church was badly damaged in a fire during the fall of the city in 1945 and left as a ruin. The decision taken in the 1990s was to insert a modern concert hall within the medieval shell rather than attempt reconstruction.

The result is architecturally unusual: the medieval brick walls and large Gothic windows survive intact, but the interior is a clean contemporary space with a suspended timber ceiling. The building hosts a regular programme of classical concerts, jazz, and organ recitals. Even if you do not attend a concert, the exterior — and the interior on open days — is worth seeing as an example of how post-war Germany has dealt with its damaged architecture.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The nave was roofless for nearly forty years after the 1945 fire. When architects finally converted it to a concert hall in the 1990s, they chose not to rebuild the roof in Gothic style but instead inserted a steel-and-glass structure that floats above the medieval walls — the contrast is jarring at first and then oddly compelling.