More than a year and a half after its consecration, the new peace bell on the summit of the Fichtelberg rang out for the first time on German Unity Day. It is an "audible reminder of how valuable peace and freedom are", said Saxony's Regional Development Minister Thomas Schmidt (CDU) as he rang the bell. "Unfortunately, peace cannot be taken for granted," he recalled, pointing out that a few decades ago, Germany was the source of the worst war of the 20th century. "The fact that we can still live peacefully and in good partnership with our neighbors today is an inestimable value for this reason alone."
The 2,700 kilogram bronze bell was cast in Innsbruck and consecrated at the beginning of 2023. In future, it will ring out on Sundays and public holidays in the region and across the border to the Czech Republic, replacing the previous bell from 1920, which was consecrated in 2010 on the highest mountain in eastern Germany at 1,215 meters, but was severely damaged by vandalism. An association collected numerous donations for the replacement, and the Free State of Bavaria funded the manufacture and construction of a belfry adapted to the harsh conditions on the mountain with around 135,000 euros.
Schmidt appealed for us to remain vigilant "and to put our actions to the test every day". "Intolerance, hate speech and a lack of respect are increasingly dominating everyday life, which worries me greatly," he said and called on people to "respect each other, even if our counterparts disagree!" The peace bell should also be a reminder of this.
Copyright 2024, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
