The current Bochum district of Harpen already existed as a farming community before 1000. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Hüfner transferred their property to Werden Abbey, and the Essen monastery also had rights in Harpen. In a "Liber valoris" (values ​​book) of the Cologne diocese from 1310-16, Harpen is already mentioned as a separate parish. The farming communities of Kirchharpen, Kornharpen and Gerthe belonged to the small parish. Harpen belonged to the court and district of Bochum, and the House of Wische was a knight's seat, as well as school and Meierhöfen. The Vinzentius Church has been Protestant (Lutheran) since around 1575. Alongside the old Bochum churches (Propstei, Langendreer, Stiepel, Weitmar), the Vinzentius Church is the fifth in the alliance, and its foundation is believed to have taken place around the year 1000. After a simple hall church, which was built onto an existing defensive tower, a basilica was built around 1150-1200, which was extended in Gothic and Renaissance styles between 1470 and 1570. The Renaissance extension to the south was replaced in 1905/06 by the "Harpener Annex" based on plans by GA Fischer from Wuppertal. Since the major renovation in 1974/78, the church's diverse construction history can be experienced in accordance with its status as a listed building. Information on the furnishings can be found in the film. Particular attention is paid to the tower. It existed as a defensive tower even before the first hall church was built between 1000 and 1050. Having become dilapidated over the centuries, it threatened to "burst" around 1874, i.e. was probably riddled with cracks. The municipality rejected a complete demolition, and so the tower was rebuilt on the original ground floor in 1876, although the exterior was changed and it was given a Gothic, bent roof, which was quite common in the region. This roof was brought down by a tornado in November 1940. The tower cap, added in 1951/52, is an independent steel construction based on plans by Tankred Pelargus of Dortmund. In its originality, it can be mentioned in the same breath as the tower designs in Dortmund, St. Reinoldi and Propstei and the two Johannes churches in Witten and Herne-Eickel. The tower contains the oldest surviving bells in what is now the city of Bochum. Nothing is known about the history of the bells before 1483, but there must have been bells in the tower built before 1000, especially in a parish church. Today, the two bells of Johannes von Dortmund form the chimes of St. Vinzentius; a third bell, probably the smallest, was loaned or sold to Lütgendortmund after the church burned down in 1586 (or after 1594 after the church was burned down by Spanish mercenaries?). Another pair of bells and several individual bells by Johannes von Dortmund (also Johannes Tremonia or Johann Wynenbrock) have been preserved, and the area of ​​the so-called Dortmund School (a predecessor of Wynenbrock (?) and several students from 1446 to the 16th century (Christuskirche Langendreer!) is represented by an impressive series of other bells. The two Harpen bells were demonstrably cast on site in a foundry pit excavated near the church. Often referred to as the “twin bell”, the two bells differ from each other in detail (crowns, language of the inscriptions). Overall, we have rather simple (and late) works by the founder here. Word separators, medallions, etc. are completely missing, the inscriptions are in the usual elegant form of Gothic minuscules and with initials borrowed from the book art of the Middle Ages, but the inscription area in particular is partly unclean and has many clay inclusions. Nevertheless, among them are the Clay lines from the removal of the bell mold are clearly visible. The bells, cast in fairly light ribs, produce a sound with overtones, but the non-ideal clappers are also to blame for this. The end of the First World War prevented the planned handing over of the bells. The clock bell (1768 or 1798, Ludwig Graff, Gummersbach, b'', 458mm) had already fallen from the tower during the storm in 1940. It was handed over in 1942, as was the Mary bell, which, following the intervention of the priest, was not smashed in the tower but lowered instead. In 1946, both bells were found in the Lünen collection camp. Both bells rang out from the tower again for Reformation Day in 1946. Further notes on the complex can be found in the film Ringing data and inscriptions (according to DR. CLAUS PETER): f' -1, 1114 mm, ~880 kg, 1484 Defu¯ctos pla¯go viuos voco fulgura fra¯go Du¯ trahor audite voco vos ad gaudia vite An¯od´ m°cccclxxxiiii° maria vocor fis' +1,5, 1070 mm, ~790 kg, 1483 Se vincencius so byn ych genant wan ych rop so komet to ha¯t ioha¯es tremo¯ie me fecit Anno d¯ni 1483 Jh¯s maia ioh Photos: April 29, 2024 With the exception of the historical depiction of the church, all photos are of our own provenance. Many thanks to Pastor Dettmann for pe