The last times it sounded only online, now it shall be heard again on Holy Saturday after ten months as we know and love it: the Great City Ringing in the Frankfurt city center. On the Saturday before the first Advent and on Christmas Eve, the concert of church bells only sounded online to prevent too large a crowd from forming on the Römerberg and other squares in the city centre. The danger exists of course also at Easter. Nevertheless, it should be possible for people again - of course under all applicable hygiene and distance regulations - to enjoy this very special sound again on site.
"It should be an additional sign of hope and confidence when, as part of the cautious easing of Corona restrictions, we open our doors on Cars Saturday from 4.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. we will once again sound our Great City Chimes," said Mayor and Church Commissioner Uwe Becker. "Even though stand-offs and masks in the city centre still show us that we have not yet arrived at the desired normality, I would also like to encourage people and show that we take the wishes of the people in our city seriously. In recent months, many people in Frankfurt have come forward to say that they miss this long and beautiful tradition, even though we have let the bells ring out on the Internet or over the radio as a small substitute. But for many citizens of our city, experiencing this unique sound experience is a piece of home, which I would also like to give you again from Easter," Becker said on Thursday, March 11.
But so that even those Frankfurt citizens who prefer to stay at home can enjoy the Great City Ringing, it will once again be possible to hear it online. After all, the bell concert should be a special moment for everyone. For this reason, Becker emphasizes: "For those Frankfurt residents who, for their own reasons, do not want to or cannot make the trip to the city center, we will nevertheless offer the Great City Ringing online on the City of Frankfurt's website. This way, you can listen to this sound composition, which is unique in Germany, either from home or during a walk through the city. We are relying on people to take responsibility for themselves, and I am confident that they will do so, given that the ringing is so widespread throughout Frankfurt's city centre. After all, we would naturally like to continue ringing our Great City Bell beyond Easter on Whitsun and the other anchor points of our Great City Bell."
The current composition of the Great City Bell goes back to the bell expert Professor Paul Smets, who composed the bell in 1954. However, the first ringing of all Frankfurt's bells dates back to 1347. The first bell is the civic bell of St. Paul's Church. It is followed by the other five bells of St Paul's Church. This is followed by the four bells of St. Catherine's Church on the Hauptwache, and then the five bells of the Church of Our Lady. North of the Liebfrauchenkirche, the four bells of St. Peter's Church and the three bells of the Dominican Monastery ring out. With its six bells, the Leonhard Church on the Main joins in, as do the four bells of the Carmelite Monastery, which also belong to the Great City Ringing. The four bells of the Alte Nikolaikirche on the Römerberg complete the composition, before the southernmost Dreikönigskirche on the other side of the Main joins the city ringing with its five bells. The climax is reached with the nine bells of the Kaiserdom. Among them is the Gloriosa, Frankfurt's most famous bell. At 11,950 kilograms, it is the heaviest of the bells in Frankfurt's inner city churches and the second heaviest bronze bell in Germany. Altogether, the 50 bells of the ten inner-city churches weigh a combined 64,804 kilograms.
The dates of the Great City Ringing are based on the high festivals in the course of the church year, which begins on 1. Advent Sunday begins:
Saturday before Easter (Holy Saturday) from 16.30 to 17 o'clock
Saturday before Pentecost from 16.30 to 17 o'clock
Saturday before the 1. Advent from 4:30 to 5 p.m.
Christmas Eve from 5 to 5.30 clock
