Bell “Kristupas”

This bell belonged to the old carillon of Klaipėda. It was founded according to Peter Schilling’s project by the masters of the bell foundry in Apolda, Germany in 1985, and in 1987 was installed in the tower of the building at 16 Liepų St., a former Klaipėda Central Post Office.  The carillon had 48 chromatically tuned bells and a 4-octave keyboard. The largest bell weighed 900 kilograms, the smallest – 15 kilograms. The total weight of the bells is 6,800 kg, and with all structures it is about 10 tons.

The carillon is used to perform the works of masters of polyphony of Western European classics and Lithuanian composers, written especially for this instrument. Since the installation of the instrument, international carillon music festivals have been organized, where, and besides the masters from Klaipėda and Kaunas, carillonists from Denmark, Germany, Holland, France, Belgium and Poland have also performed here. The last international event (Baltic Cities Bell Music Festival) took place in 2003.

Over time, the instrument deteriorated and it was decided to replace it. On September 17, 2006 the last concert of the old carillon took place. After that, the bells were dismantled and the work of installing a new carillon of the Dutch company “Royal Eijsbauts” began. Under the contract of 2008, the old carillon was entrusted to Klaipėda University for safekeeping. Several bells were donated to churches, 6 bells went missing, and the others are still stored at Klaipėda University.

The idea of ​​reviving the bells came from Romandas Žiubris, the head of the public institution ‘Klaipėdos śventės’. The idea was supported and implemented by the company ‘Western Shipyard’, which prepared the drawings and produced the structures supporting the bells. In 2016, the three largest carillon bells decorated the old town of Klaipėda. They are located in Karlskrona square, Turgaus and Tiltų streets. The dimensions of the bells: weight of the first bell – 900 kg, diameter at the bottom – 111 cm, height – 93 cm; weight of the second – 760 kg, diameter at the bottom – 103.5 cm, height – 88 cm; weight of the third bell – 600 kg, diameter at the bottom – 99.5 cm, height – 86 cm.

It has long been a tradition to give a name to the biggest carillon bell, just like to a ship, so the biggest one was named after Kristupas. It is decorated with the coat of arms of Klaipėda.