There are only three concert instruments of this type in Poland and all three are in Gdansk. We are talking about a carillon, a set of tower bells. The carillonist extracts music from the instrument by playing a manual-pedal keyboard connected to bells. Gdansk carillons are included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
What is a carillon?
The carillon is the heaviest musical instrument and its origin comes from what is now the Netherlands. Nowadays, the number of bells must be at least 23, if there are fewer of them, the instrument is called a chime. Since 2001, there is a city carillonist in Gdansk. This function is held by Ms. Monika Kazmierczak.
In Gdansk, carillons are located on the tower of the Main Town Hall and on the tower of the church of St. Catherine. The third one is a mobile carillon placed on a car trailer. We can hear the melody played by the carillons every day on the hour between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The tower carillons in Gdansk can be played in manual and automatic modes, and the keys look like pegs. Every year in the summer, numerous carillon concerts are held as part of the Gdansk Carillon Festival.
Carillonist of Gdansk, photo: Pomorskie.Travel
Carillon of the Main Town Hall tower
In 1561, the first carillon, which had only 14 bells, was installed on the tower of the Main Town Hall. Today we would call it a musical machine, but it did not survive the turmoil of war.
In 1999, a team was established to rebuild the town hall carillon. Just a year later, on December 31, 2000 at noon, the inhabitants of Gdansk said goodbye to the old year to the melody of the carillon. The 37 bells of the new carillon were cast at the Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry. Its total mass is 3,313 kg. At noon, Feliks Nowowiejski’s Rota and the Kashubian anthem are played. Every Saturday, carillon concerts are held from the tower of the Main Town Hall at 12:05.
Carillon of St. Catherine, photo: Pomorskie.Travel
Carillon on the tower of the church of St. Catherine
The first and the earliest, rather scant information about the first carillon in the tower of St. Catherine Church dates back to 1578, it was dismantled during renovation in the XVIth century, but it was dismantled in the same century. Another carillon from 1738 and with 35 bells was cast in the Netherlands and arrived in Gdansk by sea.
Unfortunately, it was struck by lightning in 1905. In 1910, a new carillon with 37 bells was built in the Schilling bell foundry in Apolda, but most of the bells were melted during the war. The next carillon was expanded with additional bells in the years 1989 – 2006 and has a total of 50 bells. Their total weight exceeds 17 tons. It is the largest concert carillon in Eastern Europe.
Carillon concerts at the church of St. Catherine’s Day takes place every week, on Fridays at 2:45 p.m.
Church of St. Catherine, photo: Pomorskie.Travel
Mobile carillon "Gdansk"
It is one of eighteen operating mobile carillons in the world and consists of 48 bells cast in 2008 at the Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry. The mobile carillon adds splendour to local and national celebrations.
