The Achering organ is being renovated: new splendor for a real treasure

Created: 09/04/2022, 07:00

By: Magdalena Hoecherl

More than ailing: Church caretaker Josef Frey shows the damage to the baroque organ.

The pipes in particular have suffered over the years. Photos: Lehmann © Lehmann

The Achering chapel was renovated a few years ago.

But there was no longer enough money for the old organ.

Now two citizens want to give the instrument a new shine.

Achering

– Church curator Josef Frey doesn’t even know how the organ sounds in the Achering branch church of St. Peter and Paul.

The instrument has been silent for decades.

It was already mute when Frey married his wife in 1984 in the small church on Kirchenpoint.

But that should now be over: together with Johann Lengl from Pulling, Frey is committed to ensuring that the organ from 1785 sounds again in all its glory.

Literally tripped over organ

Houses the gem: the branch church of St. Peter and Paul in Achering.

© Lehmann

The beginnings

It all started four years ago when Johann Lengl stood on the gallery of the village church to photograph his granddaughter's communion service.

"I literally stumbled over the organ," says Lengl.

The dilapidated condition immediately caught his eye: the keyboard broken, the pedals broken, the whistles, which are not missing, bent.

And the woodworm has left its mark everywhere.

The sight does not let go of Lengl.

"At some point I developed a certain ambition," he says and laughs.

He found a comrade-in-arms in Josef Frey, and the two 69-year-olds are both involved in church administration.

The organ has long been a thorn in Frey's side.

He would have liked to have it repaired again in the course of the church renovation.

But the money was simply not enough.

Initiator of the project: Johann Lengl from Pulling got the ball rolling.

© Lehmann

Last instrument by Johann Pfaffenbichler

The two men agree: it would be a sin and a shame to let the baroque organ continue to deteriorate.

After all, it is the only surviving organ made by organ builder Johann Pfaffenbichler from Götting in the Rosenheim district.

Almost all parts are original.

This was confirmed by a report by Wolfgang Kiechle, organ expert at the archbishop's office in Munich.

The instrument is one of the Bavarian monument organs from the 18th century.

“I am particularly fascinated by the craftsmanship.

So many parts from back then still work perfectly today without ever having been serviced extensively,” says Lengl.

Because for a long time nobody knew about the value of the organ.

"After the renovation, it should not only be a visual gem, but also a gem in terms of sound," says Lengl.

how it should sound like

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project has matured

In the meantime, the project has matured to such an extent that it can be realized thanks to a lot of voluntary commitment and support from the state and church.

However, the financial resources are still lacking: the total costs for the restoration of the Pfaffenbichler organ in Achering amount to around 80,000 euros.

“We try to cover a lot with funding pots and grants,” says Lengl.

However, he hopes that companies and private individuals from the region will also support the project.

The official starting signal for the "advertising campaign" will be on Sunday, September 11th - the day of the open monument.

The St. Ulrich rectory in Pulling has already set up a dedicated donation account.

"The order for the restoration will only be issued when the necessary funds are available," emphasizes Lengl.

Big concert planned for the inauguration

If everything goes according to plan, Lengl hopes that the financing will be available in the next three to four months.

From the spring of 2023, the baroque organ is to be restored - by the organ building company Benedikt Maria Schreier in Thierhaupten in the Augsburg district.

"It should then be inaugurated with a big concert at the end of 2023, but no later than spring 2024," explains Lengl.

Then, in the 170-strong community near the airport, it will no longer just be the planes taking off and landing that can be heard - but finally the sounds of the organ again.

Lengl laughs: "Of course they definitely have the upper hand."

Good to know

If you want, you can support the organ project in the community of Achering.

Donations are earmarked for the following account: Liga Bank Munich, IBAN: DE 51 7509 0300 0002 169 290, purpose "Orgel Achering".

A donation receipt will be issued on request.

Johann Lengl emphasizes: "In the unlikely event that the project fails, all contributions paid will be refunded."

You can find more current news from the district of Freising at Merkur.de/Freising.