03. Bell

Do you know my voice, how wonderful I sound? Alas, that’s over… Now I'm in the museum. Yet it's only thanks to the Märkisches Museum that I still exist. It saved many special objects, like the Hohenzollern High Gate or the first seal of the city. All of them tell you something about Berlins’ history. Here, they are preserved as witnesses of their time. I myself have had an eventful life. I was cast in 1471 for a place of pilgrimage called Wilsnack. There I sang for pilgrims from all over Europe. Then the Elector himself brought me to Berlin, to the church of his palace. Here I delighted princes and kings. After my move to Berlin Cathedral I sang for all citizens. And then the shock: In 1921 I got a crack! They wanted to melt me down! But the museum saved me. Because I'm more than just a broken bell. I remember a part of Berlins’ history: a time when the city heard me sing! You will meet others like me: all objects will tell you a story about how Berlin changed in the course of time.

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Märkisches Museum

Due to the current circumstances we invite you to take a digital tour through the permanent exhibition BerlinZEIT. The Stadtmuseum Berlin presents at Märkisches Museum a host of artefacts related to the culture and history of the city. A strong level of civic engagement had already led to the foundation of the Museum in 1874. From 1899 to 1908 architect Ludwig Hoffmann designed this first city museum in the world.