List of carillons in Germany

Germany's heaviest carillon is in Halle (Saale) with bells weighing more than 45,000 kg (99,000 lb) in total

Carillons, musical instruments of bells in the percussion family, are found throughout Germany. Several institutions maintain registries on the location and statistics of carillons. Some registries specialize in counting specific types of carillons. For example, the War Memorial and Peace Carillons registry counts instruments which serve as war memorials or were built in the name of promoting world peace (and tracks one in Germany); ^[1] the World Carillon Federation  [ nl ] counts carillons throughout the country, along with the rest of the world. In 2025, the casting of bells and playing music on bells was added to Germany's list of intangible cultural heritage. ^[2]

The German Carillon Association counts carillons throughout Germany, and according to the organization, there are 49 in total. ^[3] They are distributed across 41 cities; in four of them – Berlin, Bonn, Cologne, and Hamburg  –there are more than one. The population has a wide range in total weights, with bourdons spanning from 20 kilograms (44 lb) in Altenburg ^[4] and Schwerin ^[5] to 8,056 kilograms (17,760 lb) in Halle (Saale). ^[6] They also span a wide range of notes, from 23 in Bonn ^[7] and Lößnitz ^[8] up to 76 in Halle (Saale). ^[6] The carillons were all exclusively constructed after 1900 by a mix of bellfounders, many of them German. The majority of carillons are transposing instruments, and often transpose such that the lowest note on the keyboard is B♭ or C. There are also two mobile carillons, which were constructed and are owned by two German bellfounders: Perner  [ de ] and Sandkuhl. ^[3]

According to the World Carillon Federation  [ nl ], the carillons of Germany account for seven percent of the world's total. ^[9]

Criteria for inclusion

The World Carillon Federation  [ nl ] defines a carillon as an instrument of at least 23 cast bronze bells hung in fixed suspension, played with a traditional keyboard of batons, and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniously together. It may designate instruments of 15 to 22 bells built before 1940 as "historical carillons". ^[10] Its member organizations –including for example the German Carillon Association –also define a carillon with those restrictions. ^[11] This list contains only those carillons that meet the definition outlined by these organizations.

List of carillons

List of carillons in Germany

Location		City	Bells	Bourdon weight		Total weight		Range and transposition	Bellfounder(s)	Ref.
				kg	lb	kg	lb
	Aachen Town Hall	Aachen	49	400	880	2,500	5,500	—	Royal Eijsbouts 1978 [a]	[13]
	Epiphany of the Lord Church  [ de ]	Altenburg	24	20	44	311	686	—	Schilling  [ de ] 1981	[4]
	Schloss Johannisburg	Aschaffenburg	48	270	600	2,100	4,600	Up 12 semitones	Royal Eijsbouts 1969	[14]
	French Cathedral	Berlin	60	5,700	12,600	29,500	65,000	Up 1 semitone	Schilling  [ de ] / Pößneck 1987	[15]
	St. Nicholas Church		41	200	440	1,400	3,100	—	Schilling  [ de ] 1987	[16]
	Parochialkirche		52	1,490	3,280	8,600	19,000	Up 4 semitones	Petit & Fritsen / Royal Eijsbouts 2016	[17] [18]
	Carillon in Berlin-Tiergarten		68	7,800	17,200	48,000	106,000	—	Royal Eijsbouts 1987	[19]
	Bad Godesberg City Park  [ de ]	Bonn	23	37.6	83	291.1	642	Up 24 semitones	Royal Eijsbouts 1979	[7] [20]
	St. Joseph's Church  [ de ]		62	2,300	5,100	10,200	22,500	Up 8 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] 1962	[21] [22]
	Buchen City Tower  [ de ]	Buchen	24	139	306	—		Up 24 semitones	Royal Eijsbouts 2015	[23] [24]
	New Town Hall  [ de ]	Chemnitz	48	957	2,110	5,200	11,500	Up 5 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] 1978	[25]
	Cologne City Hall	Cologne	48	2,500	5,500	12,500	27,600	None (concert pitch)	Royal Eijsbouts 1958	[26] [27]
	St. Maria in der Kupfergasse		38	—		—		—	Royal Eijsbouts 2010	[28]
	Church of Saint Anne  [ de ]	Düren	37	640	1,410	3,508	7,734	Up 7 semitones	Petit & Fritsen 1964	[29] [30]
	St. Aldegundis	Emmerich am Rhein	43	905	1,995	7,000	15,000	Up 5 semitones	Petit & Fritsen 2000	[31] [32]
	Church of Our Lady  [ de ]	Eppingen	49	600	1,300	3,983	8,781	Up 5 semitones	Karlsruher 1987	[33] [34]
	St Bartholomew's Church	Erfurt	60	2,393	5,276	13,626	30,040	None (concert pitch)	Schilling  [ de ] 1979	[35]
	Old St. Nicholas Church	Frankfurt	47	560	1,230	3,500	7,700	—	Schilling  [ de ] 1939 Royal Eijsbouts 1957–97	[36]
	Saints Philip and Jacob Church	Geisa	49	358	789	2,003	4,416	Up 10 semitones	Royal Eijsbouts 2003	[37] [38]
	Gera City Hall  [ de ]	Gera	37	45	99	1,024	2,258	Up 24 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] / Pößneck 1988	[39] [40]
	Gustav Adolf Stave Church	Goslar	49	300	660	2,000	4,400	(Range not available) Up 14 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] / Perner / Buer 2002–05	[41] [42]
	Red Tower  [ de ]	Halle (Saale)	76	8,056	17,760	45,980	101,370	—	Schilling  [ de ] / Metz 1993	[6]
	Christian's Church  [ de ]	Hamburg	42	1,100	2,400	5,400	11,900	Up 4 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] 1938	[43]
	St. Nicholas Church		51	2,002	4,414	13,000	29,000	None (concert pitch)	Royal Eijsbouts 1992	[44] [45] [46]
—	Henrietten Foundation  [ de ]	Hanover	49	408	899	2,900	6,400	Up 13 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] 1960	[47]
	Heidelberg City Hall  [ de ]	Heidelberg	26	60	130	800	1,800	Up 24 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] 1961	[48]
	Herrenberg collegiate church  [ de ]	Herrenberg	50	392	864	2,510	5,530	Up 12 semitones	Royal Eijsbouts 2012	[49] [50]
	St. Martin's Church  [ de ]	Illertissen	51	400	880	2,600	5,700	Up 12 semitones	Royal Eijsbouts 2006	[51] [52]
	Kaiserslautern collegiate church  [ de ]	Kaiserslautern	47	2,000	4,400	10,000	22,000	—	Bachert  [ de ] 2009	[53]
	Karlskirche	Kassel	47	397	875	2,750	6,060	Up 10 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] 1957 Karlsruher 1989 Buer 1995	[54] [55]
	Kiel Monastery  [ de ]	Kiel	50	620	1,370	4,085	9,006		Bachert  [ de ] / Karlsruher 1999 Buer 2005	[56]
	St. John's Church  [ de ]	Lößnitz	23	350	770	2,400	5,300	Up 10 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] 1939	[8]
	St. Mary's Church	Lübeck	37	2,500	5,500	—		None (concert pitch)	Schilling  [ de ] 1906 Rincker  [ de ] 2019	[57]
	Magdeburg City Hall  [ de ]	Magdeburg	47	975	2,150	6,000	13,000	Up 5 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] / Apolda  [ de ] 1974	[58]
	Melle Town Hall	Melle	37	293	646	1,767	3,896	—	Royal Eijsbouts 2010	[59]
	Mariahilfkirche  [ de ]	Munich	65	6,200	13,700	25,000	55,000	None (concert pitch)	Royal Eijsbouts / Czudnochowsky / Gloria 2012	[60]
	Old Town Hall	Offenburg	25	25	55	425	937	—	Schilling  [ de ] / Apolda  [ de ] / Pößneck 1989	[61]
	Alter Friedhof  [ de ]	Potsdam	24	30	66	400	880	Up 36 semitones	Schilling  [ de ] 1985	[62]
	Turmhurenmuseum  [ de ]	Rockenhausen	37	47	104	—		—	Royal Eijsbouts 2014	[63]
	Fünfgiebelhaus	Rostock	32	50	110	533	1,175	—	Schilling  [ de ] / Apolda  [ de ] 1986	[64]
	Park Bergfried  [ nl ]	Saalfeld	25	1,450	3,200	9,060	19,970	Up 3 semitones	Apolda  [ de ] 1924/1986	[65]
	Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary  [ cs ]	Schirgiswalde	29	—		—		—	Schilling  [ de ] / Apolda  [ de ] 1991	[66]
	Schwerin Town Hall  [ de ]	Schwerin	26	20	44	330	730	—	Apolda  [ de ] 1988	[5]
	St. Otto Church  [ de ]	Wechselburg	36	46	101	980	2,160	—	Schilling  [ de ] / Apolda  [ de ] / Pößneck 1988	[67]
—	Old Schoolyard	Weilbach	39	240	530	2,032	4,480		Metz 2006	[68]
	Marktkirche	Wiesbaden	49	2,200	4,900	11,071	24,407	????????	Hamm 1862 Rincker  [ de ] 1962 Royal Eijsbouts 1986	[69]
	Neubaukirche  [ de ]	Würzburg	51	635	1,400	3,600	7,900	Up 9 semitones	Petit & Fritsen 2005	[70]

List of mobile carillons

List of mobile carillons in Germany

Name		City	Bells	Bourdon weight		Total weight		Range and transposition	Bellfounder(s)	Ref.
				kg	lb	kg	lb
	Perner Carillon	Passau	49	450	990	4,000	8,800	Up 12 semitones	Perner  [ de ] 2012	[71] [72]
—	Sandkuhl Carillon	Rostock	37	265	584	1,798	3,964	Up 12 semitones	Sandkuhl 2004	[73] [74]

See also

• Index of campanology articles

Notes

1. Installed 1979 ^[12]

References

1. "World map of peace carillons". War Memorial and Peace Carillons. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
2. German Carillon Association. "Intangible Cultural Heritage Recognition" (PDF). WCF Newsletter. World Carillon Federation. p. 5. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
3. "Carillons in Deutschland" [Carillons in Germany]. Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Retrieved 27 September 2024.
4. "Altenburg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
5. "Schwerin". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
6. "Halle/Saale". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
7. "Bonn-Bad Godesberg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
8. "Lößnitz". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
9. "Carillons". World Carillon Federation. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
10. "Organization". World Carillon Federation. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021. The definition of a carillon is fixed as follows: 'A carillon is a musical instrument composed of tuned bronze bells which are played from a baton keyboard'. Only those carillons having at least 23 bells will be taken into consideration.
11. "Was ist ein Carillon?" [What Is a Carillon?]. Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung [German Carillon Association]. Retrieved 27 September 2024. Ein Carillon (im deutschen Sprachgebrauch manchmal auch als Turmglockenspiel oder Konzertglockenspiel bezeichnet), hat gegenüber einem Kirchengeläut mindestens 23 Bronzeglocken (zwei Oktaven in chromatischer Reihenfolge), die mit einer Handspieleinrichtung verbunden sind. Diese Handspieleinrichtung, auch Stockspieltisch genannt, ist mit dem Spieltisch einer Orgel vergleichbar, jedoch in anderen Dimensionen. Die Tasten für die Hände sind als gerundete Holzstäbe gefertigt und werden auch Stocktasten genannt. [A carillon (sometimes also referred to as a tower glockenspiel or concert glockenspiel in German) has at least 23 bronze bells (two octaves in chromatic order) compared to a church bell, which are connected to a hand-held device. This hand-held device, also known as a stick console, is comparable to the console of an organ, but in different dimensions. The keys for the hands are made as rounded wooden sticks and are also called stick keys.]
12. "DEACHNRH". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
13. "Aachen". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
14. "Aschaffenburg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
15. "Französischer Dom" [French Cathedral]. Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
16. "Nikolaikirche" [St. Nicholas Church]. Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
17. "Parochialkirche". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
18. "DEBRLNRP". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
19. "Tiergarten". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
20. "DEBONNBG". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
21. "Bonn-Beuel". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
22. "DEBONNSJ". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
23. "Buchen". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
24. "DEBCHNMT". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
25. "Chemnitz". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
26. "Altes Rathaus". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
27. "DEKLNARH". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
28. "Kirche St. Maria". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
29. "Düren". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
30. "DEDRNSTA". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
31. "Emmerich". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
32. "DEEMRCSA". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
33. "Eppingen". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
34. "DEEPNGKS". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
35. "Erfurt". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
36. "Frankfurt am Main". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
37. "Geisa". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
38. "DEGSASPJ". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
39. "Gera". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
40. "DEGERARH". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
41. "Hahnenklee". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
42. "DEHNKLSK". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
43. "Carillon der Christianskirche". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
44. "Carillon im Mahnmal St. Nikolai". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
45. "Hamburg, Carillon of St. Nikolai Memorial (Germany)". War Memorial and Peace Carillons. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
46. "DEHMBGSN". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
47. "Hannover". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
48. "Heidelberg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
49. "Herrenberg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
50. "DEHRNBSK". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
51. "Illertissen". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
52. "DEILRTSM". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
53. "Kaiserslautern". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
54. "Kassel". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
55. "DEKSSLKK". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
56. "Kiel". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
57. "Lübeck". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
58. "Magdeburg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
59. "Melle". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
60. "München". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
61. "Offenburg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
62. "Potsdam". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
63. "Rockenhausen". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
64. "Fünfgiebelhaus". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
65. "Saalfeld". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
66. "Schirgiswalde". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
67. "Wechselburg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
68. "Weilbach". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
69. "Wiesbaden". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
70. "Würzburg". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
71. "Passau". Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
72. "DEPSSGGP". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
73. "Rostock – mobiles Carillon" [Rostock – mobile carillon]. Deutsche Glockenspielvereinigung e.V.[German Carillon Association] (in German). Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
74. "DERSTKMS". TowerBells.org. Retrieved 27 September 2024.

Further reading

• Halsted, Margo (1975). "Carillons in East and West Germany" (PDF). The Bulletin. 25 (1). The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America: 21–32. OCLC   998832003. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2024.

External links

• World list of carillons as compiled by the World Carillon Federation
• List of all types of bells in Germany as compiled by Towerbells.org