Germany's only floating church of its kind is located in the centre of Hamburg between the old town and the Speicherstadt warehouse district. A place for spiritual offerings and pastoral care on inland waterways, but also a conference venue/event location with the typical maritime flair of Hamburg.
Germany's only floating church
The Flussschifferkirche is Germany's only floating church. It is located in Hamburg's harbour between the old town, new town and Speicherstadt in the inland port. The Elbphilharmonie concert hall, Miniatur Wunderland, HafenCity and Mönckebergstraße are just a few minutes' walk away. The Rödingsmarkt and Baumwall stations on the U3 underground line are very close by. Built in 1906 as a barge, it was remodelled in 1952 to become the church of the river boatmen in Hamburg. The "Flusi", as it is lovingly referred to, has been run and maintained by a support association and mainly voluntary work since 2007.
Church in the harbour
Sunday services are held twice a month, each at 3.00 pm. Another special feature of the "Flusi" is that the service is held in Low German on the 4th Sunday of every month. Every week, the crews of inland waterway vessels are visited in the harbour to offer a chat and welcome them to Hamburg.
During the day, the church is usually open and freely accessible. In addition to "pilgrims" who are on the trail of the children's series "The Peppercorns", many also find their way to the Flusi via the former TV harbour pastor Jan Fedder on board. But guests also come from all over the world to be inspired. Admission is free.
