A Bell in Warsaw “Made in Germany”

[Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons] Normally, bells hang in bell towers and ring at regular intervals. In Warsaw, however, such a magnificent example stands in a square, even though it was never actually used. What this bell has to do with “Made in Germany”, why it does not hang in a tower, and how it is said to grant wishes, you will find out in the following article.

In the Small Old Town

Old towns are often associated with narrow lanes and the fear of getting lost in a confusing maze of streets. In Warsaw’s Old Town, however, these worries are completely unnecessary. The longest street is not even 400 metres long, the city walls measure less than one kilometre, and there are only thirteen streets altogether. The main thing to remember is the Old Town’s central artery, Świętojańska Street, named after St. John’s Cathedral. Passing the Market Square, it leads to the northern end of the Old Town, where the Barbican is located. But do not be afraid to wander freely through the Old Town and take a look into its small, romantic lanes. You really cannot get lost here. After ten minutes, you will have found your way around.

Look Around the Corner

Once you have relaxed and had a look around, you can discover numerous small architectural details within the medieval city walls. One of them is today’s main character: the “German” bell on Kanonia Street, a small triangular square that was once the site of a medieval cemetery. The bell stands right in the middle of Warsaw’s Old Town.

Tourists exploring the Old Town without a guide rarely choose this side street. Most stay on Świętojańska Street and around the Market Square. My advice is simple: look around the corner. It is truly worth it.

Narrow streets in Warsaw Old Town @ Walking Warsaw

Getting to Kanonia Street

Kanonia Street runs behind St. John’s Cathedral. The easiest way is therefore to head towards the cathedral. When you stand in front of it, you will see a path on the right, running beneath the bell tower. Follow this path to the end. On the left-hand side, you will see Kanonia Street and, in the corner, the bell.

The Bell

ulica Kanonia @ Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons

It is very inconspicuous, and most people probably assume that it is simply an ordinary bell which, during the reconstruction of the Old Town, was placed in this little square instead of being returned to a bell tower. After all, what else can one do with a bell without a bell tower?

The bell was cast in 1646 by Warsaw bell founder Daniel Thiem. Only three years earlier, he had completed Sigismund’s Column, which stands in Castle Square. Originally, the bell was intended to hang in the bell tower of Jarosław, but it never arrived there. Since 1972, it has decorated this charming square, although nobody knows exactly how or why it ended up here.

The Bell Founder: A “German”

@ Walking Warsaw

The proof that Daniel Thiem really was its creator can be found on the bell itself. There is an inscription which reads: “Mit Gotes Hülf gos mich Daniel Tiem” — “With God’s help, Daniel Tiem cast me.” Unfortunately, we do not know much about him, apart from the fact that he was a bell founder. Some of his works were better than others. Sigismund’s Column survived countless wars and even a fall to the ground during the Second World War. He clearly did a good job there.

@ Walking Warsaw

With this bell, however, he seems to have had a bad day. You can see cracks in the bell which appeared after it was completed. “Made in Germany” was still far in the future. The high reputation of German craftsmanship first had to be earned through a great deal of effort — and that took another three centuries.

The question of his nationality is just as complex as that of Nicolaus Copernicus. I would not take it too seriously.