Brand attack on Germany's largest wooden church: suspect!

Brand attack on Germany's largest wooden church: suspect!

In the night on July 22, 2025, the Marktkirche Zum Holy Spirit in Clausthal-Zellerfeld led to a fire that is presumably due to arson. The police suspect that the incident was deliberately brought about after the fire brigade was alerted via the fire alarm system at 0:40 a.m. and over 100 firefighters were in use to combat the fire within a very short time. According to regionalheute.de, both flames and a strong smoke development were visible.

The fire, which was particularly attacked by the facade of the church, could quickly be brought under control. The spread to the roof structure has been successfully prevented, but the exact amount of damage has so far been unclear. The condition of the organ near the fire stove, which has not yet been checked, is particularly worrying. The market church is not only considered the largest wooden church in Germany, but was also built in the 17th century and has been classified as a cultural monument of national importance since 2005. The impressive dimensions of the church amount to 57 meters in length and 26 meters in width.

Investigations run

The Braunschweig public prosecutor has already visited the fire location and has been in full swing the investigation into arson. On Sunday, a person was initially arrested, who had to be released again due to the lack of urgent suspicion. The community is shocked by this incident. Juliane Neuss, the chairwoman of the parish, expressed that the situation could have ended even worse and is concerned about the incident, which happened in such a significant church, which was ultimately recently renovated for around ten million euros.

The market church, which was built a good 400 years ago and offers space for almost 2,000 people, is an important cultural and spiritual place for the community. The incident not only raises questions about the security of historical buildings, but also on crime in the region. According to [NDR] (https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/braunschweig_harz_Goettingen/brandstiftung-in-Clausthalerkirche-gemeinde-Schocken, the police have already expressed the suspicion of arson on Sunday, but so far no further information on possible other investigative approaches or a motive has been known.

The church is currently sealed and closed, while the community and the authorities try to find out how this terrible incident could occur. The entire region is behind the market church and hopes for a quick clarification of the events.