*Location:

   Upper belfry
   Domtoren
   Domplein
   Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
   LL: N 52.09065, E 5.12119

Site locator map
City locator maps and gazetteer page

*Carillonist:

   Malgosia Fiebig
   T: 06 48 48 7114
   E: malgosiafiebig@hotmail.com

*Contact:

   Utrechtse Klokkenspel Vereniging
   E: (via Webform @
            www.klokkenspelvereniging.nl)

*Schedule:

   Sat 1100-1200; Fri 1230-1330 (Apr-Nov);
   Mon 20-21 (Jul-Aug); special events.

*Remarks:

   Meantone temperament.
   Original bells by F. & P. Hemony.
   Extension of 1695 by Melchior de Haze.
   One Hemony recast by S.vanAerschodt;
   that and one deHaze recast by Taylor.
   Two vanBergen basses, added in 1906
   to make fully chromatic, were removed
   in 1952 and are now in the vanBergen
   bellfoundry museum in Heiligerlee.
   First Eijsbouts renovation/expansion
   replaced one Taylor and all deHaze.
   Second Eijsbouts renovation/expansion
   replaced all 17 non-Hemony bells.
   A "lost" Hemony bell was reinstalled
   in 1997, leaving 16 by Eijsbouts.
   Drum by Jurriaen Spraeckel, c.1666;
   modified in 20th c.
   Autoplay via electro-pneumatic action
   in the console.
   Aug.2019: Tower undergoing restoration,
   to be completed in 2023;
   currently shrouded in scaffolding.
   Aug.2023: Completion now due in 2024.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 50 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell (excluding sub-bourdon) is A  in the bass octave
   Keyboard range:     G C 42/(G )A#G   
   Transposition is down 1 semitone(s), i.e., from C to B 
   There are two missing bass semitones
   The presence or absence of a practice console is unknown
   1 bell was recast or replaced in 1997
     by the maker cited in Remarks above
   Prior history:
     In 1974, the instrument was enlarged to 50 bells
       by Eijsbouts   
       (16 bells remain from that work.)
     In 1952, the instrument was enlarged to 47 bells
       by Eijsbouts   
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
       Pitch of heaviest bell was B  in the bass octave
     In 1929, some bells were recast or replaced
       with bells made by Taylor      
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
       There were no missing bass semitones
     In 1906, the instrument was enlarged to 44 bells
       by vanBergen   
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
     In 1888, some bells were recast or replaced
       with bells made by vanAerschodt
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
       There were two missing bass semitones
     In 1695, the instrument was enlarged to 42 bells
       by the maker cited in Remarks above
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
     In 1664, the instrument was begun with 35 bells
       by Hemony      
       (34 bells remain from that work.)
   Auxiliary mechanisms: M38   
   Tower details: 
     Height of console:                 (unknown)
     Height of lowest level of bells:   (unknown)
     Height of highest level of bells:  (unknown)
     Belfry openness:  65%
   Year of latest technical information source is 2021

News article (2019/08/06) about the tower restoration project

The Website of the Utrechtse Klokkenspel Vereniging (Utrecht Carillon Association), which supports the carillons of this city, has excellent photos, history, etc. (though several pages have no contents yet).

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Hemony bellfoundries, in this region and in the world.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the de Haze bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the third phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the vanAerschodt bellfoundries, in this region and in the world.
Where the fourth phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the vanBergen bellfoundries, in this region and in the world.
Where the fifth phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Taylor bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the sixth phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the seventh phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
The final phase being the reinstallation of an old bell, it is not indexed by foundry.

Ranking among all Netherlands traditional carillons by pitch (weight).
Ranking among all Netherlands traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all Netherlands traditional carillons by year of completion.

Where the sub-courdon of this carillon ranks among all great bells in Europe.

Index to all traditional carillons in Netherlands.

Index to all tower bell instruments in NL/Utrecht.

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2023/09/01
   and on technical data last updated on 2023/09/07