Intermezzo am Stephansplatz: The Pummerin Bell's Five-Year Story in Post-War Vienna

This exhibition delves into the five-year period when the Pummerin bell was temporarily located at Stephansplatz due to ongoing repairs on the north tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral. It highlights the logistical and media spectacle surrounding the bell's relocation and its provisional installation before its final ascent in 1957.

While the transport of the Pummerin bell from Upper Austria to Vienna in 1952 was orchestrated as a major public and media event, the subsequent five years of its stay at Stephansplatz have largely faded from collective memory. This exhibition illuminates this 'Intermezzo,' explaining how the bell's initial destination was not the church tower but the construction yard of the cathedral workshop, as the severe damage to the north tower had not yet been repaired. The narrative begins with the cathedral's fundraising appeal, 'The Pummerin asks for its house,' launched in April 1952. A temporary wooden scaffolding was erected in 1953, replaced by a steel bell frame with an electric ringing mechanism in 1957, marking the completion of the tower work. The exhibition culminates with the official ceremony on December 3, 1957, where the adorned bell was moved into St. Stephen's Cathedral, necessitating modifications to the 13th-century gate structure. Two days later, the Pummerin was hoisted into place, followed a week later by the consecration of the rebuilt tower spire and the inauguration of what was then Austria's fastest elevator, still in operation today.

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