History of the cathedral bells

The history of the cathedral bells at a glance:

1035: Bishop Godehard has a belfry built in the west of the cathedral and equips it with bells

1046: The first ‘Cantabona’ (approx. 100 hundredweights) is cast

12th century: Further bells (presumably also in the crossing tower) are added

1350: A new Marienglocke bell weighing approx. 180 hundredweights is cast by Johannes von Halberstadt

1590: The Cantabona shatters on New Year's Day

1601: New casting of the Cantabona (80 hundredweights) by Joachim Schrader from Hanover

1688: The Marienglocke from 1350 shatters on 5 July

18th century: After the construction of the new crossing tower, several bells are recast or moved

1760/1763: Two bells (Apostle and St Mary's bells) from 1733 and 1744 respectively crack

1765/66: New casting of five bells by Johann Martin Roth from Mainz

1796: Casting of a further three smaller bells by Christoph August Becker (II) from Hildesheim

1872: The Cantabona from 1601 shatters

1875: New casting of the Cantabona weighing approx. 8 tonnes by Hermann Große from Dresden

1942: 8 (or 9) bells are sold for armaments purposes (including the Cantabona)

1945: The remaining bells (presumably except for one in the crossing tower) are severely damaged or destroyed in the air raid on 22 March. After the war, six bells (some also badly damaged) return from the Hamburg ‘bell cemetery’.

1960: New casting of five bells by Friedrich Wilhelm Schilling from Heidelberg. The apostle bell from 1765 is retuned from a0 to as0 and incorporated into the new ringing system. The complete plan for twelve bells is not realised for financial reasons.

2010: Decommissioning of the 1960 bells for the duration of the cathedral renovation until 2014

2013: New casting of six more bells by Albert Bachert from Karlsruhe to complete the existing ringing system

2014: Consecration of the new cathedral bells on 14 May. First ringing of all twelve cathedral bells on 15 August