Koblenz (D), the bells of St. Kastor Full ringing: 19:32 [External auditory impression: 23:55-24:27 ] Bell 5: 0:09 Bell 4: 2:59 Bell 3: 6:40 Bell 2: 11:20 Bell 1: 15:54 The Basilica of St. Kastor, also called Kastor Church, is a Catholic church in the old town of Koblenz. The basilica, whose first building was completed in the first half of the 9th century and whose current appearance was created in the 12th and 19th centuries, is the oldest surviving church building in the city and stands behind the German Corner on the headland between the Rhine and Moselle. The church is a prominent Romanesque building on the Middle Rhine and is of great historical importance due to its extensively preserved building stock and the largely preserved furnishings. Together with the other two Romanesque churches, the Church of Our Lady and the Church of St. Florin, it shapes the silhouette of the old town. In the forecourt of the basilica stands the so-called Castor Fountain, a curious testimony to the Napoleonic Wars. On July 30, 1991, Pope John Paul II elevated the Castor Church to a minor basilica. It bears the patronage of St. Castor of Karden. (Source Wikipedia) The first church bells were in existence as early as the 13th century. This stock was repeatedly expanded and changed until 1607. The bells were actually supposed to be given away during secularization, but they were returned until a new ring was wanted in 1848. Karl Gaulard from Aachen was commissioned to cast four bells for St. Castor. All four bells have very different sound characteristics, which, especially in bells 2, 3, and 5, have relatively high primes and relatively low lower octaves, giving them a slightly French note. The large Kastor bell, however, has a cleaner partial tone structure. It is perhaps Gaulard's bell with the most beautiful sound, and forms a very good foundation amidst the confusion of partial tones of the other bells. Because of the distorted strike line, particularly on bells 3 and 5, Andreas Hamm from Frankenthal had to cast a bell in between. He has succeeded in creating a truly individual bell, which gives the ringing a completely different note. Today the five bells are still hanging together, which is a great miracle. The ringing of this church is truly a first-class rarity in the German bell landscape, and is unparalleled in its surroundings - the romantic Deutsches Eck. 1 - Kastor - Karl Gaulard the Younger, 1848 - 2580 kg - 1627 mm - h0 2 - Maria - Karl Gaulard the Younger. J., 1848 - 1640 kg - 1399 mm - cis1 3 - Goar - Karl Gaulard d. J., 1848 - 1170 kg - 1266 mm - d1 4 - Antonius - Andreas Hamm, 1891 - 900 kg - 1198 mm - e1 5 - Johannes - Karl Gaulard d. J., 1848 - 642 kg - 1024 mm - fis1(+) Recording: Monday, August 11th, 2019, around 2:30 p.m. It was a special recording to document the ringing of the bells. A big thank you to Jesse and Patrik for coming along and assisting and last but not least to the sexton Hanns Zündorf for making it possible!