As of: March 2, 2024, 12:00 p.m
By: Christoph Peters
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Church caretaker Erwin Walk high up in the belfry of St. Michael, which will be extensively renovated starting in May.
© Hans-Helmut Herold
The bell system and the belfry of the parish church of St. Michael in Peiting urgently need to be renovated.
The starting signal for the project is expected to be given in May.
There is good news regarding the request for a sixth bell, which has actually already been written off.
Peiting – It is a narrow, wooden and fairly inconspicuous door that literally opens the gate to another world.
Anyone who passes through it will find themselves in the tower of the parish church of St. Michael, which has stood as a landmark of Peiting in the middle of the market town for centuries.
The stone walls in the lower part are almost 1000 years old, built from Pollinger tuff stone at the time when Welf IV had a new castle built in Peiting.
The traces that such a long time has left behind cannot be overlooked.
As he goes up, church caretaker Erwin Walk points out two threatening-looking cracks in the wall.
Measuring devices are attached to them.
The good news: The devices have only registered minimal movements over the past two years, says Walk.
“The statics are not at risk at the moment.” And therefore not the urgently needed renovation that is to take place further up.
The path up leads over narrow wooden stairs; some steps and parts of the railings have been replaced in recent months for safety reasons.
Since a technician documented the dilapidated condition of the wooden bell tower during maintenance work two years ago, there has been a lot of activity in the church tower.
Even laypeople can easily see that there is a need for action here, says Pastor Robert Kröpfl, who came with us and is now standing between the winding beams high up in the bell chamber.
Many woods show signs of rot, the result of snow and rain that can penetrate unhindered through the large open arches.
Connections are so loose that when the five bells ring, the entire belfry starts moving, explains Walk.
For this reason, the ringing has been silent for two years now; only the smallest bell is allowed to ring briefly during church services.
Black spots on the wall and the wood are evidence of the great fire of 1802, which also destroyed the roof of the church tower.
During the reconstruction, some of the old wood was reused, says Walk.
During the investigations it was also noticed that the tower hood was basically just put on at that time.
Orange tension straps are currently securing the roof until the renovation work begins.
These have now been taken.
According to Walk, a specialist company from Tyrol will upgrade both the historic roof structure and the bell system.
Because this too has seen its best days and urgently needs an overhaul.
New drives and clappers as well as replacing the old steel suspensions with wooden yokes should “make the bells fit for the next 100 years,” says Walk.
By installing sound slats in the large openings of the tower, the aim is to prevent moisture from entering the belfry in the future.
These have another advantage.
This will make the sound more rounded, the bells will be heard a little quieter at close range, but at the same time it will carry the sound further out, explains the church caretaker.
The old steel bell suspensions will be replaced with wooden yokes during the work.
© Hans-Helmut Herold
The work is scheduled to start at the beginning of May.
The specialists commissioned work without any external scaffolding and work in a very small space.
Because the bells remain in the tower during the renovation - there is no need for expensive removal and temporary storage.
This is noticeable in the costs.
Originally it was expected that the necessary investment would be around 220,000 euros.
“We are now assuming that we will settle at around 200,000 euros,” says Kröpfl.
This is of course good news for the church foundation, because it has to raise a large part of the sum itself from its reserves.
There will be no subsidy from the diocese, as people in Peiting learned last year.
The increasing number of people leaving the church is leaving its mark.
“The money is getting less,” says Walk.
It is still unclear whether the Upper Bavaria district and the Bavarian State Foundation will participate in the financing, says Walk.
This makes us even more dependent on donations.
A considerable sum has now been raised (see box).
The great willingness to donate shows the great importance that the bells have, and not just for the church, says Walk.
“It’s also a piece of home for the community; it’s part of the local atmosphere that they ring the bell.”
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Own fundraising campaign for a sixth bell
How much the people of Peitingen depend on the bells of their church is also shown by the fact that the wish for a sixth bell, which had already been written off, is now becoming a reality.
The news that they had to do without them for financial reasons did not leave some people in Peitingen in peace, reports the church caretaker.
They started their own fundraising campaign and collected 13,000 euros to make it possible to add the bell, which had been missing for 100 years, to the facility.
“That came as a total surprise and of course we were very pleased, as it shows what commitment there is.”
The priest also speaks of a “stroke of luck” through which the original condition could be restored after such a long time.
“This opens up a completely different world of sound, at the moment it is just a hull bell.” The sixth bell is cast by the well-known Grassmayr foundry in Innsbruck, and a suitable name has already been decided.
It should be called “Peace Bell,” reveals Kröpfl.
“We think it is fitting for these times and is a nice sign if the bell is rung for peace for all people in Peiting in the future.” If everything goes according to plan, it could happen in July at the latest.
By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Schongau newsletter.