and goes back to the year 1512, when Jacob Iversand and Harmen Stüven built a new “largest organ.” A Rückpositiv was built before 1543 and further renovations by Jacob Scherer followed in 1551. Dirck Hoyer worked on the instrument in 1569/70 and 1576/77, and Hans Scherer the Elder left his traces during the years 1588/89. A fruitful cooperation between Hans Scherer and Hans Bockelmann followed in 1590/92. Further renovations followed in 1605/07 (Hans Scherer the Elder and his sons Hans and Fritz) and in 1635/36 (Gottfried Frizsche). In the year 1636, the Jacobi organ was the first instrument with four manuals.

The renovations were often brought about according the organists’ wishes, e.g. Hieronymus Praetorius and Matthias Weck- mann.

The rebuilt by Arp Schnitger was undertaken in 1689-93, for which he retained 25 registers from the old organ.

Johann Adam Reincken tried in vain to prevent the installation of the Principal 32’! During the Second World War, pipework, windchests and wood-carvings of the organ were evacuated; case work, bellows and console were lost during the bombardment of the city. The latest restoration of the organ was undertaken by Jürgen Ahrend between 1989-93.