Major religious holidays (Christmas, Easter Whitsuntide) are celebrated by the Grand Bell Ringing of Frankfurt am Main. The bells of various church towers ring out in collective harmony.
The simultaneous ringing of all church bells in the city is documented as early as 1347, while the idea for the “Großes Stadtgeläut” (concert of the city church bells) goes back to the year 1954. The bells of each participating church have their own harmony which fits perfectly into the joint chorus of all the church bells together.
The Second World War left many of the city’s churches and bells in ruins. As the owner of the churches in central Frankfurt, the task of rebuilding the damaged buildings and having a large number of new bells cast fell to the municipal authorities of Frankfurt.
Faced with this situation, the city’s councillors at the time commissioned the campanologist and church organ specialist Prof. Paul Smets of Mainz to develop a comprehensive concept for a joint concert by the bells of all endowed churches. The result is praised by experts as the only experience of its kind worldwide.
Further information is available on www.frankfurt.de under “Sights”