Munot bell
The Munot bell , the tower bell of the fortress Munot in Schaffhausen . The Alemannic- speaking Schaffhausen residents also call it “Munotglöggli” or “Nüniglöggli”. The Munot bell is most likely the last hand- rang alarm bell in Europe, but certainly in the whole of Switzerland. The Munot guard rings the bell for five minutes every evening at 9:00 p.m.
history
In the Middle Ages, the bell not only announced the closing of the city gates , back then for a quarter of an hour , but also the end of the bar in the inns and taverns in the city. With a storm bell outside this time, the Munot guard warned if there was a fire or if enemies were approaching the city.
Legend of the «Nüniglöggli»
Even before the completion of the Munot in 1589, there was a fortress tower with an alarm bell on the Emmersberg, the so-called "Annot" (mhd. For "without need"), which was operated by a high guard.
According to legend, the noble owner of the "Annot" is said to have returned home from a crusade after a long absence and was surprised by nightfall near Schaffhausen. Although familiar with the area, he got lost in the forest and drowned in a raging brook when his horse stumbled just before the destination. His faithful wife donated a silver bell in memory of him, which was to ring every evening at 9:00 p.m., the hour of his death.
This romanticizing explanation of the daily nine o'clock chime lacks any historical basis.
The Munot bell
The bell on the successor Munot building was cast in 1589 by Hans Meyer from Kempten, known as Hans Frei, and placed on the Munot tower in September of the same year. It is 70 centimeters high, has a diameter of 90.5 centimeters and a mass of around 420 kilograms. The strike tone is g 1 .
In addition to the year and the signature of the bell caster , it bears the reminder between two bars above the sharpness in capital letters :
- WECHTER MIRKH GVT AVF WITH WHOLE FLEIS • VMW THE NENDE STVND ZV NIGHT SOLDT DV ME LEIDEN .
A radial crack caused by the stress and the injustice of the weather (frequent lightning strikes ) reached a circumference of 240 °, or a length of almost two meters, which prompted the city council to have the bell repaired. This was carried out in 2002 by the Rüetschi bell foundry in Aarau and the Lachenmeyer bell welding plant in Nördlingen , Germany.
The song of the Munot bell
The wistful sound of the bell, not least due to the long-standing crack, inspired Dr. Ferdinand Buomberger 1911 on the poetry of the "Lied vom Munotglöckchen", which provides a strongly romanticizing explanation for the origin of the crack. There is no historical basis for this. In spite of this - or perhaps because of it - the work found its way into Swiss songs.
The copyrights were held by the Schaffhausen musical instrument store Marcandella. When this went into liquidation in 2010, the rights were publicly auctioned on December 1, 2010, a musician from Beringen SH bought them for CHF 6'500 , the Schaffhausen Munotverein received nothing. The text has been in the public domain since January 1, 2017 .
The lyrics are:
On Munot's old tower
I look out into the night,
over roofs, over gables,
lonely I keep watch.
The wave of the Rhine
rushes softly, the Kohlfirst forest rushes softly,
but
my love's omnipotence pounds in my heart .
Refrain:
Klinge Munotglöckelein,
say hello my dearest,
sound Munotglöckelein,
bim bam bim bam bim.
On the Munot's pinnacle
I saw her for the last time,
how she danced jokingly and kissing
on the big Munotball.
I must watch on the tower,
God, how is the world deceit!
Oh my love was kissed
while I was striking the hour.
Refrain: Blade ...
When I saw the cheeky demeanor
I furiously pulled the rope
and I struck the hour so hard
that the little bell rang.
Since then, the sounds of the bell have been
so filled with quiet woes
that even in the small town
people tear after tear from their eyes.
Refrain: Klinge ...
So my darling must also hear
this harsh sound,
may it
sound in the ears of all the wrong girls .
But I want to tell you little bell,
but be as silent as the grave,
I confess that I've
almost loved the girl since then.
Refrain: Blade ...
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Video recording of the ringing bell (accessed on February 21, 2011)
- ↑ 6 500 francs bid for “Munotglöcklein” ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Sda announcement, December 2, 2010
