Freedom Bell
The Freedom Bell (in German, Freiheitsglocke) in
Origins and installation
The initiative to give Berlin such a bell was taken by the Crusade for Freedom, a propaganda campaign sponsored by the
The 10-ton bell arrived from the British bell foundry of Gillett & Johnston to a ticker tape parade in New York City. It carries the inscription "That this world under God shall have a new birth of freedom". The bell subsequently visited 26 American cities, and people in every state were encouraged to sign a "Declaration of Freedom".[3] 16 million signatures from American citizens were collected and are enshrined in Berlin along with the bell.[4] The bell then traveled to Berlin, and was permanently installed in the West Berlin city hall on United Nations Day, October 24, 1950.[5] More than 400,000 Berliners filled the square before the city hall (now John-F.-Kennedy-Platz) to witness the dedication ceremonies. General Clay gave a speech and pushed the button that started the bell ringing. Its tones were heard throughout East Berlin and into East Germany. The East German Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) launched a demonstration several miles from the dedication site, and party members denounced the bell as a "war bell", a "hunger bell" and a "death bell". SED central committee member Hans Jendretzky warned: "The rope of the death bell will become the gallows rope for those who ring it."[6]
The Governing Mayor of West Berlin, Ernst Reuter (SPD), declared that Germany "will never rest or relax until freedom will shine over the countries of Eastern Europe that are at present forced to live in slavery".[6]
Occasions for ringing
The bell is rung daily for five minutes at noon, and at midnight on
The bell has also been rung on several special occasions: the 1953
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-521-85824-3.
- Andreas Daum and Veronika Liebau, Die Freiheitsglocke in Berlin ‒ The Freedom Bell in Berlin. Berlin: Jaron, 2000, ISBN 978-3-89773-023-6.
References
- ^ Cummings, Richard H. (29 September 2010). "The Freedom Bell in Berlin (Updated March 2011)". Cold War Radios. Retrieved 20 September 2012.[permanent dead link]
- JSTOR 27551792.
- ^ "50th Anniversary of the Freedom Bell in Berlin". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ "The Martins, World Bells of Peace and Freedom". Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/kalenderblatt/430825/ (in German)
- ^ a b Arch Puddington, Broadcasting Freedom: The Cold War Triumph of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, 2003, p. 21
- ^ "Freiheitsglocke - Berlin.de". Archived from the original on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-05-23. (in German)
- ^ "Die Freiheitsglocke im Turm des Rathauses Schöneberg". Bezirksamt Tempelhof-Schöneberg von Berlin. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ Birthler, Marianne (Spring 2009). "The Peaceful Revolution of the Fall of 1989" (PDF). Bulletin of the German Historical Institute. 44: 43–57 (43–45).
- ^ Freedom Bell, Berlin Germany. From Atlas Obscura web site. Retrieved November 9, 2020.