It is  on an island close to the medieval border of the city, opposite the port of the Elbe River. Traditionally, it served as a landmark for sailors.

The earliest records of the church date back to 1256. The main part was rebuilt in the middle of the 15th-century in the typical German Brick Gothic style. In the 17th-century, a baroque roof was built on the tower, which reached a height of 115-metres. During the Second World War the church was severely damaged. Only the outer walls and the bottom of the tower remained. The building was renovated between 1950 and 1957.