Renovation of the market church in Clausthal: fire after arson!

Renovation of the market church in Clausthal: fire after arson!

In Clausthal-Zellerfeld, the renovation of the historically significant market church “Zum Heiligen Geist”, which was badly damaged after a devastating fire last July 2025, is currently underway. The largest wooden church in Germany, built in the 17th century, is the focus of the restoration work, which is being carried out under special monument protection requirements. Massive fire damage was discovered on spruce beams, which now had to be carefully replaced. This information comes from NDR.

The fire broke out on the night of July 19th to 20th, with the fire department being alerted shortly after midnight. Flames blazed on the east side of the church, forcing emergency services to work for hours. Over 100 firefighters prevented the fire from burning down the entire church, and fortunately the 2,000-seat interior remained undamaged. The incident was quickly ruled an arson and police are investigating. A suspect was temporarily arrested, but released because no urgent suspicion could be proven. The Göttinger Tageblatt also reports comprehensively on the events of the night of the fire.

Renovation work under strict monument protection requirements

The renovation work is taking place at a height of twelve meters and requires considerable effort. For the new facade, around 40 hand-picked spruce trees were felled, which came from the Clausthal city forest. Carpenters Max Kahnert, Hauke ​​Scholz and master carpenter Mirco Moews are responsible for the renovation and always keep the well-being of the historical structure in mind. The damage caused by the fire is still unclear, but will be covered by insurance. Pastor Mirja Rohr is positive about the progress of the renovation work and emphasizes that church services can take place on Sundays as usual.

Unique structure in danger

The market church is not only impressive because of its size, 57 meters long and 26 meters wide, but also because of its historical significance. As one of the few surviving wooden church buildings in Germany, it has a very special status. The tower alone consists of 56 tons of wood. It was even reported that entire forests were once cut down to build the church. Despite the horror of July, the community remains optimistic and is working together to restore the church to its new splendor, while the fire department plans to conduct more exercises at the church in the future in order to respond preventatively to such disasters, according to katholisch.de.