"Wer mich berührt, den Krieg verliert, zweimal schon ausprobiert!"
(Inscription on a post-World War II bell – "Who touches me loses the war; it has already been tried twice!)

I simply love church bells. I have fond memories of hearing bells in numerous cities and, in contrast to many people, have never found them a nuisance even late at night or early in the morning. Church bells have never woken me up but I fondly recall hearing early morning the delightful chime of the bells of I assumed the Westerkerk while staying in Amsterdam as well as late at night those of St Michel in Hamburg. Visiting the Glocken Museum (Bells Museum) was therefore a priority while in Innsbruck.

The museum is to the south of the old town towards Bergisel near a couple of interesting churches and basilicas. It is a combination of a museum with a huge bell shop and a working bell foundry. Large windows from the museum allow the workshop to be observed in action and although there was no actual bell casting while we visited, we could see several shells and bells in progress.

The museum not only explains the bell making process but also the history of bells. The first bells were used around 3,000 years ago in China. Previously associated with heathen and pagan practices, bells were only accepted by the Christian church during the second century. In Europe, bells have frequently been melted down during wars to make cannons with the process reversed at times of peace – see the quote above!

Since the 15th century, it has been possible to tune bells. Following the Second World War, many cities in Germany used the opportunity when new bells had to be casted to tune the different church bells for more harmonious ringing. (In Germany, churches and indeed their bells belong to the various cities and worldly powers but the right of use as well as the right to ring the bells belongs to the congregations. When Frankfurt, where four 90-minute bell-ringing sessions are held annually, wanted to ring the bells at the reunion of Germany in 1990, the congregations refused such political request.)

A further section of the museum has numerous bells that can be touched, rung, and hammered to the joy of not only the children. I particularly enjoyed a water bell. This is basically an upside down bell filled with water. The idea is that if you rub the two handles with sufficient force and in harmony, not only does the bell hum, the water inside starts to jump almost as if boiling. Having previously seen and tried one with limited success while visiting Leipzig, I was delighted that my efforts here were much more successful than anticipated. Unfortunately, only the direct family was at hand to enjoy my spectacular success but they were frankly keener on hammering some of the other bells themselves – a process that requires zero skill and not even much force.

The first bell was produced in 3000 BC in China. In Austria, the Grassmayr family has been making bells since 1599 and their bells are in over 100 countries around the world. Grassmayr’s bells are renowned for their tonal quality and some of their larger bells can have as many as 50 different musical notes. Part of Grassmayr’s current foundry has been converted to an award winning museum that covers the bell making process from ore extraction to final bell production.

The museum is well signed with information in German and English. Pictures, models and videos are used to explain how bells are made and provide history on bells and their uses. Bells were a large part of pagan rituals so needless to say, Christianity was not eager to promote them. It wasn’t until the 2nd century that they became an accepted part of the Christian religion. Irish and Scottish monks brought bells to Europe in the 6th century and the popularity of bells increased under Charlemagne’s promotion in the 9th century. Bells were used as a call to prayer, to announce midday breaks, and to signal events such as a death, an execution, fire and the date on which taxes were due to be paid. The largest bell in the world is located in Moscow and weighs 214 tons.

One of the most fun aspects of the museum was the opportunity to test tones of different bells and watch how water inside a large bell moves when the bell is struck. I visited too late in the day to actually watch a bell being cast however my visit to the museum was enjoyable, informative and something that I’d recommend for both children and adults.

The attached gift store sells Austrian souvenirs and bells of all sizes. Commemorative bells can also be made to order. The museum is open from 9 to 5 Monday to Friday and also on Saturday.