St Johanniskirche

Northern Germany

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At the eastern edge of Am Sande stands the 14th-century St Johanniskirche, whose 108m-high spire leans 2.2m off centre. Local legend has it that the architect was so upset by this crooked steeple that he tried to do himself in by jumping off it. He fell into a hay cart and was saved, but, celebrating his escape later in the pub, drank himself into a stupor, fell over, hit his head and died after all.

The inside of the church is, well, a lot more believable than the legend; there’s an impressive organ dating to 1551, carvings and stained-glass windows, both ancient and modern. Overall it has a rich interior, unlike the stark spaces of so many post-war-reconstructed churches.

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