Dr. Dietrich Diederichs-Gottschalk (Padingbüttel/Wurster Nordseeküste): Schaubühne herzoglicher und stadtbürgerlicher Repräsentanz – Die St. Severi Kirche in Otterndorf mit ihrer protestantischen Ausstattung

The Hadeln region, with its town and parish church in Otterndorf, is an area shaped by Hanseatic urban culture. The reasons for this lie in the former wealth of this small exclave of the Duchy of Lauenburg, but also in the unique character of a locally governed, self-organized marshland society. The expressions of this way of life, found in representative works of art at the symbolic sites of their independently organized parishes, form a pictorial record of social, economic, artistic, and religious history. They are tangible testimonies to a culture that encompasses more than the narrative of picturesque rural cathedrals. Using the Otterndorf Church as an example, this study highlights the high-quality artistic production that emerged from the dialogue among the town’s upper class and in competition with the ducal court. These works of art and church furnishings are significant sources that must be deciphered in terms of social and religious history.
           
Dr. theol. Dietrich Diederichs-Gottschalk is a pastor emeritus and the author of several publications on the history of art and denominational history.