{"id":12874,"date":"2021-04-19T11:00:25","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T11:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=12874"},"modified":"2021-04-16T16:59:24","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T16:59:24","slug":"the-petersglocke-germanys-massive-bell-st-peters-bell-germany-cologne-dom-cathedral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-petersglocke-germanys-massive-bell-st-peters-bell-germany-cologne-dom-cathedral\/","title":{"rendered":"The Petersglocke: Germany&#8217;s Massive Cathedral Bell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0<em>Petersglocke\u00a0<\/em>(f, St. Peter&#8217;s Bell) is one of the largest swinging bells in the world. It has its home in the\u00a0<em>K\u00f6lner Dom\u00a0<\/em>(m, Cologne Cathedral), a breath-taking cathedral with a long history and <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/why-germanys-record-breaking-cathedral-is-so-impressive-cologne-cathedral-kolner-dom\/\">many records of its own<\/a>. Known locally also as\u00a0<em>Dicker Pitter\u00a0<\/em>(Big Peter), the\u00a0<em>Glocke\u00a0<\/em>weighs about 24.000 kilograms (53.000 pounds) and measures 3.22 meters (10.5 feet) across at a height of 3.20 meters (10.5 feet). Until 2016, it was the biggest swinging bell in the world. It was overtaken by the Andreas Bell of the People&#8217;s Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest, Romania. However, it is still the <em>tontiefste\u00a0<\/em>(lowest pitched) bell in the world. Here&#8217;s what came before it, how it sounds and how a tragic accident in 2011 was actually a blessing in disguise.<\/p>\n<h1><strong>Its Predecessor: The War-Ridden <em>Kaisersglocke<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kaiserglocke(Carsko zvono)\/Gloriosa katedrale u K\u00f6lnu\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iCmuKPxqQrg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Before the\u00a0<em>Petersglocke<\/em>, the Cologne Cathedral had another huge bell: the <em>Kaiserglocke <\/em>(f, Emperor&#8217;s Bell). This bell was made in 1874, shortly after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. The <em>Glocke <\/em>was commissioned during the war<em>. <\/em>It was cast using captured <em>Kanonen <\/em>(f, canons) from the war that the <em>Kaiser <\/em>(m, emperor), <em>Wilhelm I<\/em>, donated for the bell. That&#8217;s why it bears the name <em>Kaiserglocke<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>However, as impressive as the bell was with its 26 metric tons and 3.5 meters diameter, it just didn&#8217;t sound right. However, that was not the reason that it was removed in 1918. The First World War required so much metal, that churches had to give up many of their most-prized possessions. Entire\u00a0<em>Orgeln\u00a0<\/em>(organs) were melted down to make war machines. The\u00a0<em>Kaisersglocke\u00a0<\/em>met the same fate. The bell that came from weapons returned to becoming one.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the war, the metal shortage got better, and the\u00a0<em>K\u00f6lner Dom <\/em>wanted to get a new <em>Glocke<\/em>. Another one that could do the C0 pitch. That&#8217;s where the <em>Petersglocke <\/em>comes in.<\/p>\n<h1><strong>The Petersglocke<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"K\u00f6lner Dom Vollgel\u00e4ut im verschneiten Glockenstuhl\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jbtqJWZT_EI?start=147&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12877\" style=\"width: 194px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/oUGSLAIlkpk\" aria-label=\"Cologne Cathedral Tower Kolner Dom 1 233x350\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12877\" class=\"wp-image-12877 \"  alt=\"Petersglocke Cologne K\u00f6lner Dom Cathedral\" width=\"184\" height=\"276\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1-233x350.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1-233x350.jpg 233w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 184px) 100vw, 184px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12877\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@magsmallow?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Maggie Yap<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/cologne--cathedral?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>The <em>Petersg<\/em><em>locke\u00a0<\/em>was\u00a0<em>gegossen\u00a0<\/em>(cast) in 1923 in Apolda by Heinrich Ulrich (a name can&#8217;t get more German than that). This is 1923, so we&#8217;re in the middle of the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/black-friday-but-not-the-one-you-think\/\">Great Depression<\/a>, which hit Germany extremely heavily. The German currency, the\u00a0<em>Mark\u00a0<\/em>became worthless quickly. This was a problem for Ulrich, as casting a\u00a0<em>Glocke\u00a0<\/em>is an incredibly laborious process that takes months or even years to complete. And so, as a precaution, he demanded 5000 dollars extra pay to ensure he would be able to stay afloat.<\/p>\n<p>To get the massive bell into the cathedral was no easy feat. Due to its width, the <em>Petersg<\/em><em>locke\u00a0<\/em>did not fit through the main doors of the\u00a0<em>Dom<\/em>, and so the middle divider between the two doors had to be removed. But even once the bell was inside the church, it had to be pulled up into the <em>Glockenstuhl <\/em>(bell fry). It took several weeks to get it up the 53 meters tall <em>Glockenstuhl<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>But then it was done, and the\u00a0<em>Petersglocke\u00a0<\/em>made its amazing sound in c0 for decades &#8211; until 2011.<\/p>\n<h1><strong><em>Kl\u00f6ppelabsturz<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cyXafu7XTQc<\/p>\n<p>On January 6, 2011, something awful happened. The\u00a0<em>Kl\u00f6ppel\u00a0<\/em>(m, clapper) of the bell broke off. During the\u00a0<em>Glockenspiel\u00a0<\/em>(chime) of the\u00a0<em>Heiligen Drei K\u00f6nige\u00a0<\/em>(Epiphany). The sound of the\u00a0<em>Kl\u00f6ppel\u00a0<\/em>hitting the floor of the\u00a0<em>Glockenstuhl\u00a0<\/em>was clearly audible, as you can hear in the video above.<\/p>\n<p>But just 11 months later, the <em>Petersglocke <\/em>could sound again with a new <em>Kl\u00f6ppel<\/em>. In fact, it was a blessing that it received a new one. The old one hit the bell too hard and would have made it unusable in a few years. The new <em>Kl\u00f6ppel<\/em>, with a lower weight and a different <em>Anschlag\u00a0<\/em>(m, impact), made for a better sound and longevity.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Have you heard the\u00a0<em>Petersglocke\u00a0<\/em>before, or have you visited the\u00a0<em>K\u00f6lner Dom<\/em>? If not, check out our post on the\u00a0<em>K\u00f6lner Dom<\/em>, and how you can visit from the comfort of your home!<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"233\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1-233x350.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Petersglocke Cologne K\u00f6lner Dom Cathedral\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1-233x350.jpg 233w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Cologne-Cathedral-Tower-Kolner-Dom-1.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><p>The\u00a0Petersglocke\u00a0(f, St. Peter&#8217;s Bell) is one of the largest swinging bells in the world. It has its home in the\u00a0K\u00f6lner Dom\u00a0(m, Cologne Cathedral), a breath-taking cathedral with a long history and many records of its own. Known locally also as\u00a0Dicker Pitter\u00a0(Big Peter), the\u00a0Glocke\u00a0weighs about 24.000 kilograms (53.000 pounds) and measures 3.22 meters (10.5 feet) across&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-petersglocke-germanys-massive-bell-st-peters-bell-germany-cologne-dom-cathedral\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":12877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,108,547385],"tags":[4673,8883,376025,3879],"class_list":["post-12874","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-music","category-travel-geography","tag-church","tag-german-history","tag-music","tag-religion"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12874"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12879,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12874\/revisions\/12879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}