![Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-P047199, Berlin, Schöneberger Sängerknaben](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Bundesarchiv_B_145_Bild-P047199%2C_Berlin%2C_Sch%C3%B6neberger_S%C3%A4ngerknaben.jpg)
The Freedom Bell (in German, ''Freiheitsglocke'') in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, is a
bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...
that was given as a gift from
Americans
Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...
to the city of Berlin in 1950 as a symbol of
anti-communism
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
, and was inspired by the American
Liberty Bell. Since 1950, the bell has been located in the
Rathaus Schöneberg
Rathaus Schöneberg is the city hall for the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg in Berlin. From 1949 until 1990 it served as the seat of the state senate of West Berlin and from 1949 until 1991 as the seat of the Governing Mayor.
History
The sa ...
, the former city hall of
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
.
Origins and installation
The initiative to give Berlin such a bell was taken by the ''Crusade for Freedom'', a propaganda campaign sponsored by the
National Committee for a Free Europe
The National Committee for a Free Europe, later known as Free Europe Committee, was an anti-communist Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) front organization, founded on June 1, 1949, in New York City, which worked for the spreading of American infl ...
, the organization which operated
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
. The campaign was launched by U.S. general
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
on Labor Day, 1950, with General
Lucius D. Clay
General Lucius Dubignon Clay (April 23, 1898 – April 16, 1978) was a senior officer of the United States Army who was known for his administration of occupied Germany after World War II. He served as the deputy to General of the Army Dwight D ...
, later known as the "father of the
Berlin airlift
The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...
", as its chairman. The stated purpose of the Campaign was to offer all Americans an opportunity to play a personal part in a demonstration of the "free world's determination to resist Communist aggression." The bell was conceived by Abbott Washburn and Nate Crabtree and designed by
Walter Dorwin Teague
Walter Dorwin Teague (December 18, 1883 – December 5, 1960) was an American industrial designer, architect, illustrator, graphic designer, writer, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Dean of Industrial Design", Teague pioneered in the ...
.
The 10-ton bell arrived from the British
bell foundry
Bellfounding is the casting and tuning of large bronze bells in a foundry for use such as in churches, clock towers and public buildings, either to signify the time or an event, or as a musical carillon or chime. Large bells are made by casting ...
of
Gillett & Johnston
Gillett & Johnston was a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon, England from 1844 until 1957. Between 1844 and 1950, over 14,000 tower clocks were made at the works. The company's most successful and prominent period of activity as a be ...
to a ticker tape parade in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. 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". 16 million signatures from American citizens were collected and are enshrined in Berlin along with the bell. The bell then traveled to Berlin, and was permanently installed in the
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
city hall on
United Nations Day
United Nations Day is an annual commemorative day, reflecting the official creation of the United Nations on 24 October 1945. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly declared 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations ...
, October 24, 1950. 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
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (german: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, ; SED, ), often known in English as the East German Communist Party, was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East German ...
(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
Gustav Ernst Hans Jendretzky (20 July 1897 – 2 July 1992) was a German Communist politician. He was a prominent politician of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
He became a member of the Ind ...
warned: "The rope of the death bell will become the gallows rope for those who ring it."
[Arch Puddington, ''Broadcasting Freedom: The Cold War Triumph of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty'', 2003, p. 21]
The Governing Mayor of West Berlin,
Ernst Reuter (
SPD
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany.
Saskia Esken has been t ...
), 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".
Occasions for ringing
![Mayor of West Berlin, Willy Brandt, Presents a Gift to President John F](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Mayor_of_West_Berlin%2C_Willy_Brandt%2C_Presents_a_Gift_to_President_John_F._Kennedy.jpg)
The bell is rung daily for five minutes at noon, and at midnight on
Christmas Eve and on
New Year's Eve. A recording of the ringing was broadcast by
RIAS, the American radio in West Berlin, every Sunday just before noon. These broadcasts have been continued by the successor of RIAS,
Deutschlandradio Kultur
Deutschlandfunk Kultur (; abbreviated to ''DLF Kultur'' or ''DKultur'') is a culture-oriented radio station and part of Deutschlandradio, a set of national radio stations in Germany. Initially named ''DeutschlandRadio Berlin'', the station was ren ...
. In the radio broadcasts, the ringing of the bell is followed by an excerpt from the text of the "Declaration of Freedom" in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, read by prominent theatre actors.
The bell has also been rung on several special occasions: the 1953
Uprising of June 17, the 1956
Hungarian Uprising, the construction of the
Berlin Wall in 1961, and the
Reunification of Germany of 1990. In 2001, the bell was rung on occasion of the
September 11, 2001 attacks, and thousands of Berlin citizens paid their respect at
John-F.-Kennedy-Platz in front of the former city hall of West Berlin.
Freedom Bell, Berlin Germany
From Atlas Obscura web site. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
Further reading
* Andreas Daum
Andreas W. Daum is a German-American historian who specializes in modern German and transatlantic history, as well as the history of knowledge and global exploration.
Daum received his Ph.D. summa cum laude in 1995 from the Ludwig Maximilian Unive ...
, ''Kennedy in Berlin''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008, .
* Andreas Daum and Veronika Liebau, ''Die Freiheitsglocke in Berlin ‒ The Freedom Bell in Berlin''. Berlin: Jaron, 2000, .
References
External links
Listen to the Freedom Bell
{{Bells
1950 establishments in Germany
1950s in Berlin
Culture in Berlin
National symbols of Germany
Liberty symbols
Individual bells
Cold War history of Germany
Cold War history of the United States
Buildings and structures completed in 1950
Germany–United States relations