Open Ship on board the Flussschifferkirche Hamburg

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Come aboard Hamburg's Church in the Harbor, Germany's only river boatmen's church. Here you can rest or gather information. Let us tell you what the "Flusi" is all about. A service will be held on board at 3:00 p.m. on Sundays. "If people can't come to church, the church must go to the people!" The River Boatmen's Church remains fundamentally committed to this saying by Johann Hinrich Wichern, who introduced inland boatmen's ministry in Hamburg in 1870. However, the "church on the water" looks back on an even longer tradition. As early as the beginning of the 18th century, ship preachers were dispatched to read from the Bible to sailors. Since many sailors and inland boatmen wanted to celebrate a "real" church service, the office of Seamen's Pastor was created. From 1747 onwards, there was a floating church, whose services were announced by the ship's bell. Built in 1906, the barge, affectionately known in Hamburg as "Flusi," was converted into a church in 1952 and has been moored in Hamburg's inner harbor since 2006. A team of volunteer pastors, deacons, preachers, and interns hold services, perform weddings, baptisms, and confirmations, usually in close proximity to the Elbe River. "Flusi" is also popular for cultural events: concerts, readings, and lectures take place here.