St. Jacob’s Market Church

The church tower began to lean so much that a retaining wall was built in 1741.

Since 1988, St. Jacob’s Market Church that is located on Einbeck Market Square is under protection order. The church is known for its 65-metres-high tilted steeple that is inclined by 1.5 metres and is therefore also called the “leaning tower of Einbeck”. Because of its tilt, a Baroque supporting façade was already added to the steeple in 1741.

The Gothic church is the smaller one of both Evangelic-Lutheran parish churches in Einbeck. For the first time, it was mentioned in a document in 1327. However, there is already a reference to a second smaller church further to St. Alexandri Collegiate Church dated 1238.

Originating from the building of the nave, assumingly around 1270, the church was steadily expanded and renovated on a regular basis.

Special features of Market Church are:

• Baptismal font (from the Romanesque Period): Originally, the baptismal font had its place in the church of the village Odagsen, but this church was demolished in 1750. After the demolition, the baptismal font was used for watering livestock. Then, it was presumed lost, but was found later on in the Garden of brewery owner Domeier who handed it over under the condition that his coat of arms would be added to the baptismal font. 
• Statue of the church’s patron Saint Jacob the Elder (heights: 58 cms, the oldest still preserved exhibit)
• Organ (built in 1861)
• Late-Gothic winged altar (placed in the choir of the church in 1993; originally located in St. Spirit’s chapel in Einbeck)