Sankt Nicolai Kirke


Honouring the patron saint of mariners, this powerful brick church features a 14th-century tower. In 1450 a little window-like brick projection (called Lygten) was added to the tower's upper eastern end to hang a burning lantern for guiding ships into harbour. It was from the top of this tower that Christian IV kept watch on his naval fleet as it successfully defended the town from Swedish invaders during the Battle of Køge Bay.

In July and early August visitors can climb the tower for similar, hopefully battle-free, views. Within the church other notable features include the ornately gilded 17th-century altar and multistage pulpit, plus the crest-emblazoned wooden gallery that raised Køge’s nobility above the hoi polloi.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. KØS

0.04 MILES

Køge’s Museum of Art in Public Spaces is a unique entity, displaying not the artists’ finished work, but the notes and scribblings, sketches, models and…

2. Køge Museum

0.1 MILES

Occupying a half-timbered 17th-century abode, the revamped Køge Museum uses state-of-the-art technology to bring to life its local-history artefacts. One…

3. Rådhus

0.13 MILES

Though essentially rebuilt in 1903, Køge's original town hall was once a 1550s Renaissance-style palace of a place that was partly built with materials…

4. Vallø Slot

4.03 MILES

Red-brick Vallø Slot ticks all the ‘proper castle’ boxes, with pointed metal-capped turrets and a moat filled with lily pads and croaking frogs. The…

5. Ragnarock

12.46 MILES

Within a startling architectural statement of a building, this spirit-lifting, highly interactive museum delivers a multisensory, experiential and often…

6. Insp!

12.95 MILES

While it's not exactly Christiania, since 2011 Roskilde has had its own tiny, self-organising alternative community in a graffiti-covered area of semi…

7. Arken Museum of Modern Art

13 MILES

Modern art fans wanting a quick escape from town should consider a trip to Arken. It's best known for its temporary exhibitions, spanning the usual modern…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "denmark/zealand/koge/attractions/sankt-nicolai-kirke/a/poi-sig/1438887/358861",
      "position": "superzone"
    }