St. John's Church is the oldest parish church in Magdeburg, and is a Romanesque-style, three-aisle cruciform basilica from 1131. The history of the church is extremely eventful. Although the church was destroyed several times by fires in the city as well as by Count Tilly's forces during the siege of the city in 1631, it was always rebuilt. St. John's Church is also closely tied to Martin Luther's activities in the city. On 26 June 1524 he held a famous sermon in the overcrowded church.

Mayor Otto von Guericke (1602-1686) and his family are buried in a vault on the north side of the church. The mayor is considered to be the father of German experimental physics, proved the existence of the vacuum, and invented, among other things, the air pump.

On the 16 January 1945 the church was destroyed in a severe bombing raid. The reconstruction of the church was not started for 46 years. Reconstruction efforts, which were largely due to the initiative of the board of trustees, began on 16 January 1991. The church was completed in 1999 and is now used as an unusual venue for a variety of events.

The Luther Memorial in front of the church was created in 1886. In 1989 it was given a new base with a new inscription that reads "God's word with us in eternity".