„Die Glocke“ (the bell) is a renowned Bremen concert hall, which was built at the Domsheide next to the Bremen Dome. In the 15th century the building was used for consultations regarding the dome capital and after 1648 it was also used for Supreme Court operations.The new octagon shaped building was used as a secondary school (formerly higher education), for court proceedings and deputation sessions as well as file storage. In 1857 the building changed ownership to the artist association. Almost everyone was anyone held a memebership. In 1869 the halls in the “Glocke” were renovated and in 1877 the natural science collection gifted to the state by the “Gesellschaft Museum” (museum society) was stored here until it was transferred to the North-West Trade and Industry Exhibition in 1890.On January 26, 1915 the “Glocke” suffered significant damages from a fire. Between 1926 and 1928 the new “Glocke” was rebuilt and concert halls as well as a restaurant were added under the construction management of architect Walter Görig.Until 1959, after the Second World War damages had been repaired, the “Glocke” was used as club space by the occupying troops.The “Glocke’s” halls and the foyer are designed in Art Deco Style. The halls and the foyer are used for concerts, song evenings, lectures, smaller congresses, readings, banquettes and events. The “Große Saal” (great hall) has a capacity of 1400 seats; the Kleine Saal (small hall) features 430 seats.Due to its excellent acoustics, Herbert von Karajan nominated the “Glocke” to one of the best three concert halls in Europe. Magarat Price stated: “For singers, the Glocke is the best hall in the world.“
Photo DieGlocke-01 by Jürgen Howaldt is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0