Merseburg Cathedral receives a new bell in the year of its 1000th anniversary. The historic peal of bells, consisting of eight ringing bells and two chiming bells, will thus be supplemented and relieved. Funding of €50,000 for the new bell can be guaranteed thanks to the support of the Friede Springer Foundation. After extensive preparations, the bell was cast on Friday, 25 June 2021, at the Sächsisches Metallwerk Freiberg using an innovative process. Representatives of all those involved in the project attended the bell casting in Freiberg:
Dr h. c. mult. Friede Springer
"For the Friede Springer Foundation, donating a new bell to Merseburg Cathedral to mark the 1000th anniversary of its consecration is a matter close to our hearts. We are particularly pleased that the bell is dedicated to peace. A verse from Friedrich Schiller's Song of the bell will adorn her for this reason: Peace be her first ringing."
Prof Dr Karin von Welck, Dean of the United Cathedral Foundations
"The fact that the Friede Springer Foundation is donating a bell to Merseburg Cathedral to mark the 1000th anniversary of its consecration is a wonderful sign for me that the cathedral is still held in high esteem in our time: May it remain so in the centuries to come. As I have never experienced a bell casting before, I am looking forward to this event and am excited to see the result. I am also deeply impressed that it has always been customary to cast church bells at the hour of Jesus Christ's death, i.e. on Fridays at 3 pm."
Volker Haupt, Chairman of Hilliger e.V. Freiberg
"For us as members of Hilliger e.V., it is both a great challenge and a wonderful task to be able to add a bell based on a rib by Martin Hilliger to such an important peal. We are grateful for the trust placed in us by the cathedral founders and the bell expert Christoph Schulz. We will do everything we can to fulfil the expectations placed in us."
