St. Mary’s Church and the Devil’s Stone

1 - St. Mary’s Church stands in Lübeck’s old town. It was built of red brick between 1265 and 1351. It is one of the largest brick churches in northern Germany. It has two towers, each rising almost 125 m into the air. Inside, the roof vaults 38.5 m above the nave. Around 70 other churches in Baltic Sea towns were built on its model.

2 - There are 27 chapels in the church. Chapels are small rooms inside a church used for prayers, devotions or services. One chapel in St. Mary’s Church is called the Letter Writers’ Chapel. In the past, professional scribes worked here. They wrote documents for people who could not read or write.

3 - During the Second World War, St Mary's Church burned down completely after an air raid on the night of 28–29 March 1942. Numerous works of art were destroyed, including a series of paintings known as the “Lübeck Dance of Death”. Many buildings in the city centre were also destroyed by bombs and fire.

4 - On the west side of Lübeck’s St. Mary’s Church lies a long stone. For several years, a devil figure created by sculptor Rolf Goerler has sat on it. In Lübeck, people tell an old legend about this stone.

5 - When the cornerstone of St. Mary’s Church was laid, the devil happened to pass by. He was curious and wanted to know what kind of building was going to be built. He was told that a wine tavern was being built there. The devil liked the sound of that, since he was always looking for people whose souls would belong to him after they died. People used to believe that the deceased who had led good lives went to heaven, while the wicked had to suffer all kinds of torments with the devil in hell for all eternity. Some people still believe that today.

6 - The lord of hell hoped to find plenty of victims easily in a place where people drank a lot of wine. Bad things sometimes happen under the influence of alcohol. The devil eagerly helped build the new building. Thanks to his special powers, the work progressed much faster than expected. But it soon became clear that it was not going to be a wine house at all, but a large church.

7 - When the devil noticed this, he angrily grabbed a huge boulder, flew high into the air with it, and wanted to smash the church with it. “Hold on, Devil,” one of the workers called to him. “We are building you a wine house, but first this church has to be finished!” Distracted by the shout, the devil missed his aim, and the boulder did not hit the church but crashed to the ground right beside it. It is still there today, and people say the devil’s claw marks are clearly visible.

8 - Once the church was finished, the builders really did build a wine cellar for the councilors of Lübeck. However, it is not known how many souls the devil won among them.