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All Sweden Stockholm Tyska Kyrkan Weather Vane

Tyska Kyrkan Weather Vane

This centuries-old rooster survived a devastating fire.

Stockholm, Sweden

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CoolCrab
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The weather vane.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
The weather vane.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Tyska Kyrkan Weather Vane   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
The weather vane.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
The weather vane.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
The weather vane.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Now behind a protective glass   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Tyska Kyrkan Weather Vane   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
The church.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
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About

From afar, weather vanes look like tiny structures swiveling in the wind. But get close to one, and you'll realize they're actually quite large. This one's size isn't the most impressive thing about it, as it's a survivor of a devastating blaze.

Gamla Stan's Tyska Kyrkan, or Old Town's German Church, was built in 1672 for Stockholm's growing German population. Starting out with a guild, school, and later the church, the Germans built a tiny enclave in the city which remains there to this day.

However, in 1878, the tower of the church was badly damaged by a fire and had to be almost completely rebuilt. One of the surviving elements was the church's weather vane, an enormous brass rooster designed to catch the wind and rotate until it was pointing in its direction.

The church decided against putting the rooster back after the tower was rebuilt, opting instead to replace it with a new one. The original vane is on display in the church, within a glass case in the entrance hall.

Related Tags

Weather Churches Instruments Of Science Rooftops Fires Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

It costs 40SEK to enter the church, but the weather vane is in the hall before the cash register and therefore can be visited for free.

Note that the church is only open on Friday to Sundays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Community Contributors

Added By

CoolCrab

Edited By

irlockley220, Luis Morato, Xavixavir

  • irlockley220
  • Luis Morato
  • Xavixavir

Published

April 12, 2019

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Sources
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Church,_Stockholm
  • https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyska_kyrkan
Tyska Kyrkan Weather Vane
16 Svartmangatan
Södermalm
Stockholm, 111 29
Sweden
59.324117, 18.071701
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