Church of Our Saviour

Köpenhamn · Denmark · Church

Church of Our Saviour — Köpenhamn · Denmark · Church

The spiral spire twists the wrong way – and the architect is said to have thrown himself from the top on discovering his mistake.

The golden spiral spire of the Church of Our Saviour is Christianshavn's landmark: 400 steps, the last 150 running outside around the tower, ever narrower towards the gilded globe at the top. Attached to the spire is Copenhagen's most stubborn urban legend. When architect Lauritz de Thurah finished it in 1752, he is said to have realised that the spiral twists the wrong way – anticlockwise – and, in despair over the flaw in his life's work, to have leapt from the top of the tower. The story is still told to breathless tourists on the way up; the truth is that Thurah died peacefully in his bed seven years later, content with his creation. But the myth refuses to die, and many visitors clinging to the rail high above Christianshavn's rooftops claim to understand exactly why the legend feels so true up there in the wind.

FAQ

Where is Church of Our Saviour located?

Church of Our Saviour is in Köpenhamn, Denmark.

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