The oldest bell in St Andrew's Church dates back to the second half of the 14th century. An unknown bell founder created the small bell [5], whose inscription refers to the evangelists.
The largest bell is from the 16th century. Bell founder Martin Miller from the well-known family of bell founders in Esslingen created the sonorous bell [1], which is still the largest bell in the peal today.
Bell [3] comes from Cannstatt. Master bell founder Johann Jacob Kurtz created the richly decorated bell in 1803. It celebrated its 220th anniversary in 2023 and is one of the few surviving bells from this time of this foundry dynasty.
These bells still hang in their original wooden belfry today. Such a three-part historical ensemble is almost unique in the Stuttgart region today due to the conscriptions of bells and the destruction in this region caused by the war.
It is therefore all the more pleasing that, despite what was probably perceived as a "discordant sound" at the time, the existing bells remained largely undisturbed when they were added in the early 1980s. At that time, the two new bells [2+4] were added by the Bachert bell foundry in Kochendorf. Two additional compartments were built to the left and right of the existing belfry.
The peal today has a very special aura. The unclear interval between the bells [3+4] noticeably characterises the overall impression. At the same time, the ensemble can rely on a particularly sonorous, large historic bell. Its character is also a noticeable enrichment for the sound impression, which is already very mixed due to the enormous bell chamber.
31 июл 2024
