For this year's Christmas, the special ringing of the Protestant Trinity Church in Kittlitz, a district of the town of Löbau in the district of Görlitz, is being presented. 0:00 - Clock strikes 5 p.m. 0:32 - Exterior shot; first Werner bells, later plenary session; pictures of the church & bells 3:13 - Clock bell 4:02 - Bell 4 5:20 - Bell 3 6:59 - Bell 2 8:53 - Bell 1 11:07 - Full ringing The parish village of Kittlitz, north of Löbau, is one of the oldest towns in Upper Lusatia. It was the site of a Slavic fortification, which developed into the present-day castle in the 18th century. In the 14th century, the town was temporarily tax-free and had jurisdiction. In the 11th century, there was already a chapel, which was replaced by a Gothic building in 1252. The old church (possibly from 1252) was dilapidated, which is why a new church had to be built. The plans were drawn up by the patrons HA von Gersdorff and KG Freiherr von Hundt. The construction was carried out by the master builder Andreas Hünigen. The foundation stone was laid on June 3, 1749. First, the choir room was built, which was connected to the old church. From 1751, services were moved to the new room; the church was demolished and rebuilt by 1755. Due to the Seven Years' War, the interior work was delayed until 1763-1766. Finally, the tower was built from 1772. The church was finally consecrated in 1775. The magnificent, baroque hall building is very representative and can still be seen from several kilometers away. The altar, pulpit, baptismal font and organ front date from the time it was built. The altar is surmounted by a towering ciborium. It consists of four columns closed by curved arches with tendrils. The pulpit is richly carved. Four faience stoves have been preserved in the glazed galleries, which were reserved for the patrons. The current organ was made by Gotthilf Bärmig from Werdau and is the second largest Bärmig organ to have survived. The last major renovation of the church took place between 1990 and 1995. There is no doubt that Kittlitz is home to one of the most beautiful churches in Upper Lusatia! The bells in the tower are also extremely remarkable, as they are almost completely preserved 19th century bells! The Kittlitz church is also said to have originally had one of the oldest bells in Upper Lusatia, which bore the year 1202. It was recast in the late Gothic period. The patrons had the middle and small bells recast by Andreas Herold in 1652 and 1658. These three bells were recast in 1864 by the Gruhl foundry as a gift from the church's patron at the time, Baron von Wunsch. A fourth, small bell was added to the ringing. The mighty wooden bell frame probably dates from this period. In 1917, the small bell had to be melted down for military purposes. The large bells were probably able to stay because of their beautiful sound. The missing bell was not replaced. During the Second World War, the Nazis confiscated two bells, but luckily they were able to be returned after the war. The significant inventory remained unchanged until 2006. In that year, the bell frame was found to be in need of renovation and the crown of the e' bell was found to be damaged. The bell frame was therefore renovated, the crown of bell 2 was replaced/renewed and all the bells were given new clappers. The large bell also received a new wooden yoke based on an old model. During the renovation, the missing small bell was also replaced by the Lauchhammer foundry. It was cast in a seventh rib to match the large bells. The rarity of an almost completely preserved bronze (Gruhl) chime from this period, as well as the four-part nature and depth of tone, make the ensemble one of the most important and valuable in the region and far beyond. The clock bell at the top of the tower was cast in 1728 by Michael Weinholdt in Dresden and strikes the quarter hour. The hourly chime is struck by the large bell of the swinging chime. The bells: Motif: C sharp'-E'-G sharp'-C sharp'' (minor chord) Descriptions of inscriptions and decorations can be found in the video for the individual presentations. Bell 1 / bronze / cis' - 2 / 1 365 kg / 1 370 mm Bell 2 / bronze / e' +4 / 780 kg / 1 135 mm Bell 3 / bronze / gis' -2.5 / 406 kg / 907 mm Bell 4 / bronze / cis'' +3.5 / 161 kg / 686 mm Clock bell / bronze / h' ~-4 / 1728 / 210 kg / 780 mm 1-3: Theodor Werner, Kleinwelka 1864 4: Art & Bell Foundry Lauchhammer 2006 Clock bell: Michael Weinholdt, Dresden 1728 All recordings were made on August 8th, 2023 for a separate ringing. I would like to thank Mr. Manzke for making the recordings possible without any complications and for handing over the keys, as well as Pastor Süßmitt for her permission and mediation.