Reinoldikirche Guide

Reinoldikirche is the church that tells you Dortmund was once a rich trading city and not only a steel town. It is dedicated to St Reinold, the patron saint of Dortmund, and it stands where the east-west trade route, the Hellweg, meets the old market district. Almost everything around it was rebuilt after the Second World War, which makes the church the clearest reminder of the older city. It is also one of the few places in the centre where you can step out of the shopping crowd without paying for anything.

Exploring the architecture

Start outside, on the pavement of the pedestrian zone, and look up at the tower. The church is a late Romanesque and Gothic building, and wartime bombing damaged it. The tower you see is a rebuilt one, simpler than the pre-war silhouette. We would still spend a few minutes on the outside, because the stone is dark, the proportions are tall and narrow, and the building rises straight out of a street of chain shops. That contrast is the point of the place.

Inside, the nave is tall and plain compared with Cologne or Aachen. The interest lies in the details, such as carved figures of Reinold and of Charlemagne among the furnishings, stained glass, and the sense of a parish church that is used daily. It is a working Protestant church, so you will meet people who are there to pray, to listen to music or to ask the staff a question, not to take photographs.

Planning your visit

Plan on a short visit, a little more if there is an organ rehearsal or a concert. The church works best as the first or last stop on a loop through the old centre, so leave the city centre shops, enter the church, then walk the few steps east to Alter Markt. If you want a heavier history day, the city's art and cultural history museum gives the wider story of the city, although its permanent display is closed while the building is redeveloped, so check what is on offer before you plan around it.

Two other old churches stand within a short walk. Petrikirche is known for its carved and gilded altarpiece, and Marienkirche is the oldest of the group and holds a famous medieval altar. If church interiors interest you, visit all three in one slow hour. If they do not, Reinoldikirche alone is enough.

Who should visit

• First-time visitors with time in the centre. It costs nothing and gives the shopping streets some context.
• Anyone interested in the Hanseatic and medieval past. Dortmund was a member of the Hanseatic League, and this is where that history becomes visible.
• Visitors in December. The church stands beside the heart of the Christmas City, and our Christmas market guide explains how the markets spread around it.

Practical advice

Do not try to turn the church into a long visit. It is not a museum, there is no long tour to take, and the guidebook habit of asking for quiet reflection is not realistic on a busy shopping Saturday. Tight schedules also cause trouble, as services and rehearsals can close parts of the building, so keep the visit loose and have a fallback ready. We suggest adding it to a walk along Westenhellweg and the other shopping streets rather than crossing town specially.

It is also not the place for climbing a tower view if you are expecting a viewing platform. For a proper panorama, the better choice is the Florianturm in Westfalenpark, which gives a wide look over the whole city and the former industrial districts.

One practical point on manners: dress as you would for any active church, take your hat off, switch your phone to silent, and avoid walking through during a service. Church notices on the door and on the parish website tell you what is planned that day. Visitors who come with the right expectations, a short, quiet and free stop with a strong sense of the old city, tend to leave more satisfied than those who arrive expecting a cathedral.