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{{Short description|Bell in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2009}}

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The '''Pummerin''' ("boomer") or '''Marienglocke''' ("Mary Bell") is the largest bell in the [[Stephansdom]], [[St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna|St. Stephen's Cathedral]],  in [[Vienna]].

== Old Pummerin ''(Josephinische Glocke)'' ==
[[Image:Überführung der josephinischen Glocke nach St. Stephan 1711.jpg|thumb|The Pummerin being transported to the cathedral in 1711]]
The Old Pummerin was originally cast in 1705 by bell founder [[:de:Johann Achamer|Johann Achammer]] from 208 of the 300 cannons captured from the [[Muslim]] invaders in the [[Battle of Vienna|Second Turkish Siege of Vienna]].

The [[church bell]] cost 19,400 [[Austro-Hungarian florin|florin]]s to cast. Images of [[Saint Joseph]], [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|St. Mary]] as the [[Immaculate Conception]], and [[Leopold III, Margrave of Austria|St. Leopold]] adorned the [[Bell (instrument)|bell]]. These figures bore the arms of [[Bohemia]], [[Hungary]], the [[Holy Roman Empire]], and [[Austria]].

It had a diameter of {{cvt|3.16|m}} (2 centimeters more than the New Pummerin), 
with a pitch of [[B (musical note)|H]] (B natural).

On December 15, 1711, 
[[Bishop]] [[Franz Ferdinand Freiherr von Rummel]] consecrated the bell, which was then installed in the lower part of the high south tower of the cathedral. It rang for the first time on January 26, 1712 to mark the entry of [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] to [[Vienna]] from [[Frankfurt]] after his coronation as [[Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor]].

It took a quarter-hour for 16 men pulling on the bell rope to swing the heavy bell back-and-forth enough before the clapper would strike. But the forces from swinging the 18,161 [[kilogram|kg]] bell endangered the structure of the beloved tower, so in 1878 [[Friedrich von Schmidt]], the cathedral's architect, ordered that it be rung only by pulling its [[Bell (instrument)|clapper]], instead of being swung.

[https://web.archive.org/web/20071011023208/http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c:%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C:%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C:%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt==;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo==;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024==;i031=;N_031=3;R_031==;i029=;N_029=4;R_029==;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen==;i039=;N_039=6;R_039==&KEY=fot%20w0007331 A photo of it in place] shows how the Old Pummerin was then borne by wooden rails on which its lip rested. When it was to be rung, the rails had to be lowered away from it by turning [[jackscrew]]s, and then eight men pulled on the two ropes attached to its heavy [[Bell (instrument)|clapper]].
The Old Pummerin last sounded on Easter 1937. A fire caused by war-time looters of near-by shops destroyed the bell when its wooden cradle burned through and the bell crashed onto the stone floor of the south tower on April 12, 1945, along with Johannesglocke of the Northern tower, Zwölferin, and Neuerin of the south front tower. The other 6 bells of the north front tower survived the fire and still exist today. The other 11 bells of the Southern tower were cast in 1960, after the fire.

== New Pummerin ==
[[Image:Pummerin Stephansdom Vienna July 2008 (14).JPG|thumb|250px|right|Pummerin is the third largest swinging bell in Europe]]
[[File:Pummerin, St. Stephan, Vienna - October 26, 2013.ogg|thumb|Pummerin bell]]
The new Pummerin (officially named for ''[[St. Mary]]'') was a gift from the province of [[Upper Austria]] and was cast 
on 5 September 1951 in [[Saint Florian, Austria|St. Florian]], [[Upper Austria]] from the Old Pummerin's metal (supplemented by metal from some of the remaining captured Turkish cannons at Vienna's [[Heeresgeschichtliches Museum]] military museum).

At 20,130&nbsp;kg (44,380&nbsp;lb) (without the clapper which weighs 813&nbsp;kg), the new Pummerin is the largest bell in Austria and the third largest swinging bell in Europe after the 23,500&nbsp;kg (51,810&nbsp;lb) ''[[Petersglocke]]'' in [[Cologne Cathedral]] and the 22,700&nbsp;kg ''Maria Dolens'' in [[Rovereto]], [[Italy]].
The [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202404/http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c:%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C:%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C:%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=Pummerin%20;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt==;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo==;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024==;i031=;N_031=3;R_031==;i029=;N_029=4;R_029==;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen==;i039=;N_039=6;R_039==&KEY=fot%20w0014700 new bell] has a diameter of {{convert|3.14|m|ft}} and a height of {{convert|2.94|m|ft}}.

The bell bears three reliefs showing the [[Blessed Virgin]] as the [[Immaculate Conception]], a scene from the Ottoman [[siege of Vienna (1683)]], and a scene of the conflagration in 1945. Like the Old Pummerin, the heads of Turks adorn the brackets at the top, and an interlocking square chain design decorates the bottom rim.

It arrived in [[Vienna]] on 26 April 1952 and was consecrated by Cardinal [[Theodor Innitzer]] that same day. It rang for the first time the next day at a [[Pontifical High Mass]], but from the cathedral's building yard where it remained until its new home was completed.

The cathedral authorities wanted the main bell to again be a traditional swinging bell, so it was decided to design the new bell this way, and (because its old home in the south tower had already been proven too vulnerable) to hang it in the shorter, but sturdier, north tower. Repair of the landmark south tower had been given higher priority, so the north tower was not ready to receive its new tenant until five years later. The new Pummerin was driven through the Giant's Door on the west facade and installed on a steel structure within the north tower on 5 October 1957.

=== Ringing schedule ===

The Pummerin sounds on only a few special occasions such as high [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] holidays such as [[Easter]], [[Pentecost]], [[Feast of Corpus Christi]], [[Christmas Eve]], and [[Saint Stephen's Day]] (High Patron of the Church - Dec 26th);  state funerals, and at the beginning of the [[New Year]], when it is broadcast on [[Österreichischer Rundfunk|ORF]], followed by [[The Blue Danube]] Waltz.<ref>{{YouTube|id= ml7PzEi1qSU|title= 2011: Pummerin und Wiener Walzer; ORF 1}}</ref> At New Year's in the city it is hard to hear the bells due to the noise from the fireworks. On [[All Souls' Day]] (2 November) it rings to commemorate the fallen in World War II. On the 23rd of April it rings to celebrate the consecration of St. Stephens. The bell has almost never rung with the peal of 11 bells in the South tower. Full peal can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c151mIKhXGE<ref>[http://www.stephansdom.at/dom_im_detail_pummerin.htm ''Stephansdom | Der Dom im Detail | Pummerin''], stephansdom.at.</ref><ref>[http://www.stephanskirche.at/index.jsp?menuekeyvalue=64&langid=1 ''Domkirche St. Stephan zu Wien | Läut-Ordnung der Metropolitan- u. Domkirche zu St. Stephan''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225113010/http://www.stephanskirche.at/index.jsp?menuekeyvalue=64&langid=1 |date=2013-12-25 }}, stephanskirche.at.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! style="background:#ddd;"| Date/Day
! style="background:#ddd;"| Time (Beginning)
! style="background:#ddd;"| Celebration
|-
| 1 January || style="text-align:right" | 00:00 || Ring in the [[New Year]]
|-
| [[Holy Saturday]] || style="text-align:right" | ≈ 23:00 || Holy Saturday
|-
| [[Easter Sunday]] || style="text-align:right" | ≈ btw. 11:50 and 12:10 || [[Easter|Resurrection of Christ]] 
|-
| 23 April || style="text-align:right" | ≈ btw. 19:20 and 19:30 || Church Anniversary
|-
| [[Pentecost]] || style="text-align:right" | ≈ btw. 11:45 and 12:00 || Feast of Pentecost<ref>{{YouTube|id= 8qfgrRaONaQ|title= Video vom 27. Mai 2012 (8:01 min)}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Feast of Corpus Christi]] || style="text-align:right" | ≈ 09:30 || Beginning of the procession
|-
| style="text-align:right" | ≈ 11:30 || after Mass
|-
| 26 October || style="text-align:right" | ≈ 19:00 || Celebration of the Nation, after evening Mass (anniversary of the [[Declaration of Neutrality]])
|-
| 2 November || style="text-align:right" | ≈ 17:45 || [[All Soul's Day]]
|-
| 24 December || style="text-align:right" | 23:55 || [[Christmas Mass]]
|-
| 26 December || style="text-align:right" | ≈ btw. 11:50 and 12:10 || [[Saint Stephen's Day]]<ref>{{YouTube|id= 5BIArIBxsSU|title= Video im Glockenstuhl vom 26. Dezember 2009 (6:51 min)}}</ref>
|}

To minimize excess vibrations of the supporting structure, since 2003 the bell's electrical swinging mechanism has been carefully controlled by a computer.

An elevator takes visitors up the {{convert|68|m|ft}} to the bell.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline}}
* {{ YouTube | id = 3ChgB1CBr_o | title = The sound of Pummerin (31. Dezember 2016) }}.

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Individual bells]]
[[Category:18th century in Vienna]]
[[Category:1950s in Vienna]]
[[Category:St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna]]