In the Hanshofen district of Mittelstetten, bells are rarely heard - and if that is the case, then something special is about to happen.
There is even a second big bell in the hamlet.
But it can no longer ring because it is no longer hanging.
Hanshofen
- The bell of the St. Katharina branch church in Hanshofen is silent for most of the year.
If it does ring, it means one of three things - it is time for the devotion after the annual pleading from Günzlhofen, it is patronage or someone has died.
When the bell rings unexpectedly for the press conference this August morning, a neighbor rushes over.
He was shocked when he heard the bell.
And is very relieved when he learns that there is no death anywhere in the hamlet.
It's so familiar and friendly in Hanshofen.
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St. Katharina: The late Gothic building was redesigned in Baroque style around 1700.
© Weber
There are three properties in this idyllic spot in the community of Mittelstetten, two of which are known nationwide - the playground equipment manufacturer Klingl and the Tashina Haila riding facility, where Georg Gänswein, private secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict, has even celebrated a mass and blessing the horse.
It took place in the open air - the five rows of pews in the small church could not even have seated a fraction of the visitors.
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Small but mighty: the church has only five rows of pews, but it has a richly decorated altar and wall paintings.
© Weber
The three Hanshofen families share the sacristan service in St. Katharina every three years, currently it is the Klingls' turn.
It's not a lot of work for Sebastian Klingl and his wife - cleaning every now and then and preparing the church interior on the few occasions when believers gather.
And then ring the bell too.
That's not that easy.
You have to pull hard on the several times knotted, 14 meter long bell rope that hangs from the ceiling behind the altar on the ground floor of the church tower.
Sexton son Valentin, nine years old, has to work hard until the first clear tone can be heard.
But he enjoys it, as does his brother Moritz - the next generation of sacristers seems to be secure, at least in the Klingl family.
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Difficult to photograph in the narrow tower: the bell of the St. Katharina branch church in Hanshofen.
© Andreas Gamperling
The bell is almost 100 years old.
In 1928 it was cast in the Swabian town of Lauingen - together with a second, larger one that had to be delivered as a metal donation for weapons production during the Second World War.
The same fate had befallen one of the previous bells in 1917.
Hanshofen Church: A bell was handed in for weapons production - the remaining one is dedicated to the patroness of the church
The remaining bell is dedicated to the patroness of the church.
"St.
Katharina, Please for us ”is in the upper area.
In the middle is a representation of the saint.
At the lower edge - much more earthly and profane - the donor of the bell is remembered.
“Innozenz Nässl pays for the casting,” it says there.
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One of the previous bells: It was taken down in 1992 and has been in a courtyard on the Ringstrasse ever since.
© Weber
And there is also a bell in the hamlet of Hanshofen: In 1922, Josef Bramberger from Hanshofen financed a steel bell for the church in Günzlhofen.
It was removed again in 1992 because its sound did not match that of the rest of the bronze bells.
Bramberger had determined that in this case his donation should be returned to his farm on the Ringstrasse.
It is still there today.
The series
In the series "The Bells of Mittelstetten", the daily newspaper presents the bells of all six places of worship and their history in cooperation with the Association for Village Life.
The association will publish its research as a brochure.
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