engineering

Petersglocke

Petersglocke is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Petersglocke rather than just read about it. In short: Petersglocke (pronounced [ˈpeːtɐsˌɡlɔkə]; English: "[Saint] Peter's bell"), commonly referred to as Dicker Pitter (German: [ˈdɪkɐ ˈpɪtɐ]; Kölsch: de Decke Pitter or de Dekke Pitter, pronounced [də ˌdêkə ˈpɪ̂tɐ] , i.e. "Fat/Big Peter"), is the bourdon bell of Cologne Cathedral. It was cast in 1923 by Heinrich Ulrich in Apolda and hangs in the belfry of the south tower.

Key takeaways

Petersglocke belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Petersglocke to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Petersglocke from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Petersglocke (pronounced [ˈpeːtɐsˌɡlɔkə]; English: "[Saint] Peter's bell"), commonly referred to as Dicker Pitter (German: [ˈdɪkɐ ˈpɪtɐ]; Kölsch: de Decke Pitter or de Dekke Pitter, pronounced [də ˌdêkə ˈpɪ̂tɐ] , i.e. "Fat/Big Peter"), is the bourdon bell of Cologne Cathedral. It was cast in 1923 by Heinrich Ulrich in Apolda and hangs in the belfry of the south tower. With a weight of approximately 24,000 kilograms (53,000 lb), a clapper weighing about 700 kilograms (1,500 lb) and a diameter of 322 centimetres (10 ft 7 in), it is the second largest (horizontally mounted) freely swinging ringable bell in the world, after the bell of the People's Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest, Romania. The bell is named after Saint Peter, one of Jesus's twelve apostles.

Inscription

Dedicatory inscription Im Jahre 1922 nach Christi Geburt, 600 Jahre nach der Domweihe, unter der Regierung des Papstes Pius XI, des Erzbischofs Karl Joseph Kardinal Schulte, unter der Amtsführung des Dompropstes Arnold Middendorf, des Domdechanten und Weihbischofs Petrus Lausberg, der Domkapitulare Winand Blank, Arnold Steffens, Joseph Romunde, Karl Cohen, Joseph Vogt, Adolf Ott, Friedrich Graf Spee, Otto Paschen, Christian Berrenrath, Joseph Stoffels. Ich wurde zu Apolda vom Meister Heinrich Ulrich gegossen. Die Mittel gaben das Deutsche Reich, der Preußische Staat und vaterländisch gesinnte Bürger Kölns.

Another inscription O König der Herrlichkeit, komm Christus mit Frieden. St. Gereon, bitt für uns. St. Ursula, bitt für uns. St. Peter bin ich genannt, schütze das deutsche Land, geboren aus deutschem Leid, ruf ich zur Einigkeit.

The sound of the Petersglocke Within Cologne Cathedral's bell system, the Petersglocke stands as a unique entity. Cast in 1923 by K. Richard Heinrich Ulrich, Fa. Gebr. Ulrich of Erfurt, Thuringia, it maintains ideal overall performance compared to other C-major bronze bells. Contemporary research confirms its strike ring thickness remains within a reasonable diameter ratio. Its design was modeled after the measured Erfurter Gloriosa. Regarding Klangaufbau, the Petersglocke exhibits no extreme deviations in the Prinzipaltonbereich compared to other C-glocken, except for es°+3 and g°-14 = ges°+2. Unfortunately, the Unterton's Abklingdauer is now suboptimal (approximately 170 seconds). Its rich mixture range lends the bell considerable volume. Nevertheless, it struggles to compete with the two immediately higher bells in the plenum. A notable feature is the presence of a secondary nominal e°-2, a phenomenon similar to the Dreikönigenglocke, creating the illusion of a major octave ripple. In reality, the Petersglocke should be classified as a minor octave ripple. Interestingly, in the acceptance report dated June 4, 1923, the then-cathedral canon and cathedral choirmaster Prof. Dr. Carl Cohen (1851–1938), serving as bell expert, still referred to it as a major-key bell. As an individual bell, the Petersglocke has always been widely cherished. In 1956, it underwent welding repairs in the South Tower by the Nördlingen bell workshop Hans Lachenmeyer senior (1898–1977) and junior (*1936).

History When the bell was cast in 1923, the bell-founder refused to take German marks as a payment because of the hyper-inflation. Instead the Cathedral Chapter paid 5,000 US dollars. The predecessor of the bell was the "Emperor's Bell" (orig. German: Kaiserglocke) or Gloriosa ("Glorious") of 1873 which at 27,180 kilograms (59,920 lb) was even heavier than the St. Peter's bell. In 1918 it was melted down, because of the poor sound quality and the inadequate tone. Its metal was used for war purposes. During its thirty-year life it had regularly been put out of service to attempt to fix the inappropriate sound. Because of this the bell was nicknamed Große Schweigerin, or "big silence".

History Detail

Source:

Spring 1918 The Cologne Metropolitan Chapter melted down the Kaiserglocke in Cologne Cathedral as a war sacrifice, receiving no state compensation. Domkapellmeister Prof. Dr. Karl Hubert Cohen subsequently contacted the Glockengießerei Gebr. Ulrich foundry in Apolda in advance to prepare for future recasting.

Early January 1922 Banker Heinrich von Stein and Christian Eckert jointly planned the bell's recasting, preparing to submit a request to the Reich Government for bell metal.

January 7, 1922 Stein mailed Eckert a list of intended signatories for the petition, along with a draft proposal.

January 10, 1922 The invitation card was printed, calling on citizens to sign a petition to the Reich Chancellor requesting metal for casting a new German bell to replace the imperial bell lost during the war.

January 15–21, 1922 The petition (Eingabe) was displayed at Kölner Margaretenkloster 3 for citizens to sign in support. Ultimately, signatures from 68 prominent figures were collected.

March 13, 1922 A meeting at Bankhaus Stein confirmed funding for the bell metal (approximately 1.2 million Mark) and 2000kg of material. Glockengießerei Gebr. Ulrich in Apolda was formally commissioned for casting.

May 5, 1923 The Petersglocke was successfully cast in Apolda under the supervision of Master Heinrich Ulrich.

October 15, 1924 Dompropst Middendorf dispatched representatives to notify Christian Eckert of a meeting to discuss the transportation of the Petersglocke.

October 20, 1924 A meeting convened in the Kapitelssaal arranged specific measures for transporting the Petersglocke from Apolda back to Cologne.

November 30, 1924 The Petersglocke was formally consecrated at Cologne Cathedral, becoming the new main bell. Its inscription records funding from the German Reich, the Prussian State, and the citizens of Cologne.

February 1, 1926, at midnight The Petersglocke rang out, announcing the liberation of the Cologne occupation zone, thus acquiring commemorative significance.

1951 In 1951, a 110 centimetres (3.6 ft) long crack appeared on the bell. It was welded in 1956 by the company Lachenmeyer from Nördlingen. After repairs, the bell received a new, lighter clapper (approx. 600 kilograms [1,300 lb]), and it was rotated approximately 20 degrees so that the clapper did not strike the damaged area.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Petersglocke

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Petersglocke claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Petersglocke before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Petersglocke ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Petersglocke

In research: Petersglocke appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Petersglocke in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Petersglocke is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures completed in 1923, Individual bells, Tourist attractions in Cologne, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Petersglocke outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Petersglocke in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Petersglocke means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Petersglocke out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Petersglocke in simple terms?

Why does Petersglocke matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Petersglocke?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Petersglocke.