Historic Pirna Bell Tolls for 119 Years Straight
The old town hall bell in Pirna-Copitz has fallen silent since late August, following a complaint about its noise. For 119 years, the bell has been chiming half-hourly and hourly, tolling the time and evoking a sense of home for the town's residents. However, recent measurements have revealed a high excess of 19 dB(A) during nighttime, prompting the district office to consider noise-reducing measures for the old navy bell.
The bell, which was restored in 2004 by a resident's family, is protected and cannot be insulated to ring more softly. Its clockwork mechanism, which is old and cannot be turned on and off or controlled by a timer, is manually wound once a week by a resident named Wolfgang Queißer.
Wolfgang, who is responsible for the office depot bell's operation, has been asked by the district office to implement noise reduction measures and inform about the implementation period. If the bell is not allowed to chime at night, it will have to remain silent permanently.
Short-term noise peaks of up to 65 dB(A) are permitted at night for such facilities, but the district office considers the high excess during nighttime from the old navy bell as a cause for concern. The complaint about the bell's noise was forwarded to the heritage protection authority and the environmental protection authority of the district administration of Saxon Switzerland-Osterzgebirge.
Claudia Meerz, a pharmacist in the town hall building, serves as a "guardian of the bell". The much louder bell of the Pirna Marienkriche is still in operation, with investigations being made on a case-by-case basis. The authorities have decreed that the bell must remain silent between 10 pm and 6 am.
As the situation develops, it remains to be seen how the old town hall bell of Pirna-Copitz will continue to toll the time and evoke a sense of home for its residents. The district office will work closely with the bell operator to find a solution that respects both the town's history and its residents' need for peace and quiet.
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