The 18th century bells that were taken by the Germans to Hamburg during the Second World War will soon be returned to the Corpus Christi church in Gdansk, from where they were stolen. The historic bells were about to be melted down by the Germans to make cartridge casings for the German army. Fortunately, this did not happen, and the bells were used for years by a Hamburg parish. Now the German clergy will return the bells as a donation under an agreement.
During the Second World War, they were to be melted down in Hamburg to make shell casings for cartridges for the German army. Soon, the two 18th-century bells will return to the Corpus Christi church in Gdansk. – This is a historic moment not only for our community of believers, but also for the city of Gdańsk,” emphasises Father Dr Rafał Michalak, pastor of the Polish-Catholic parish at 3 Maja Street.
The relics will return to our city under an agreement concluded at the beginning of March in Berlin between the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK) and the Polish-Catholic parish of Corpus Christi in Gdańsk. The bells will be donated by the German side.
However, important conditions are included in the agreement: The donation of the bells is made for the purpose and on the condition that they are returned to the tower of the Corpus Christi church in Gdansk in accordance with the terms of the agreement. The donation of the bells is made for the purpose and on condition that they are returned to the tower of Corpus Christi Church in Gdansk in accordance with their original purpose and with over 200 years of tradition of use, and that they will resound to summon the faithful of Corpus Christi and the citizens of Gdansk to an open and friendly atmosphere. Corpus Christi Church and the people of Gdansk to services and prayers. The Polish-Catholic Parish Church of Corpus Christi, with its seat in Gdańsk Corpus Christi, based in Gdańsk, undertakes to inform UEK of the actions taken to repair the church tower and to inform it of the date when the bells will be installed there.
Father Dr Rafał Michalak, pastor of the Corpus Christi Polish-Catholic parish, has no doubt that this is a unique event.
– This is a historic moment not only for our faithful, but also for the city of Gdańsk: the bells which were taken to Germany during the turmoil of war are coming back to us. It is also another important step in the dialogue between Poles and Germans,” says Father Rafał Michalak.
The handover of the two bells is to take place in mid-May in Lübeck, at the Hanseatic Museum of the City of Danzig (Haus Hansestadt Danzig). This institution will cover the cost of their transport to Poland.
– It currently houses a small bell. The tower is built of wood and clad with bricks. We need to be sure that after more than 80 years the additional two bells will not damage its structure in any way,” adds Father Dr. Rafał Michalak.
The 18th-century bells from the Corpus Christi church. Corpus Christi – history
Brief history of the bells from Gdansk Two bells cast in 1733 and 1758 were taken to Hamburg during the Second World War. They were to be taken to the local steelworks and melted down for the Third Reich army. The bells fortunately survived. The Allied air attack on Hamburg in July 1943 demolished most of the city. The steelworks was also on the list of ruined buildings.
After the war, the two Danzig bells rang at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Michael in Lübeck, built in 1951. In 2008, the church was adapted for non-sacred purposes. The smaller bell dates from 1733, the larger from 1758, both cast in bronze. Dimensions of the bells: smaller: weight 53 kg, diameter 48 centimetres, larger: weight 110 kg, diameter 57 centimetres
source: UM Gdańsk / www.gdansk.pl
photos: Piotr Wittman/ gdansk.pl and Haus Hansestadt Danzig
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Monuments | History | Sacral architecture | Gdańsk | Berlin
