The Story Of… The Bell Foundry (Klokkengieterij) in Heiligerlee, Netherlands

 

 

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of The Bell Foundry Museum

Heiligerlee, a village in the North East of the province Groningen, can be found in history books in Holland. The Battle of Heiligerlee took place here which started the war between Spain and Holland and lasted 80 years. There is a statue in a small park: Count Adolf van Nassau, youngest brother of William van Nassau, Prince of Orange. He was killed in the battle of Heiligerlee at the age of 28. But Heiligerlee is also famous for its bell foundry which made bells for more than 200 years and supplied it to churches in the surrounding areas but also all over the world, including The US. The foundry is a museum now which opened in 1987. If you are in Heiligerlee, check out the museum and the statue. It is worth it. I know because I was born in this village.

KB: Describe for the RSR readers how the bell foundry was founded?

In 1795 the Van Bergen family immigrated from the east and started a bell foundry in the village of Midwolda, just north of Heiligerlee. In 1863 they moved to a larger factory, close to the canal. In 1867 two of the three brothers moved back to Midwolda after a family quarrel and the two foundries competed quite fiercely during the late 19th and nearly 20th century. The years between the two World Wars were the most successful. Andries Heero III van Bergen was a very successful producer of well- tuned carillons and the first to use electromagnets to strike the bells. After WW II both firms went into decline. They hadn’t kept up with the times, competition was stiff and, despite favourable market conditions, they had to close down; Midwolda in 1970 and Heiligerlee in 1980. The factory building in Heiligerlee was left to ruin until it was restored and turned into a museum (1987).

KB: Describe how the bell is made for the RSR readers.

The process to cast a bell looks a lot like the lost wax/ cire perdue process. First a model of the inside of the bell (the core) is made with sand with a bonding agent on a brick structure, using a wooden template. Then comes a layer that is shaped with a template of the outside profile. On that, wax is applied and ornaments and texts made of wax are attached. This is called the ‘false bell’. With a little fire the wax is melted, so the outside mold (the cope) can be lifted and the false bell removed. The cope is placed back over the core and the empty space where the false bell has been is filled with liquid bronze. The false bell is destroyed in het process; therefore each bell is unique.

KB: Where did the bells go made by the foundry?

Van Bergen bells were shipped all over the world; there are some in the US. In the Netherlands Van Bergen worked mainly for protestant churches; their competitors in Brabant catered to the Catholic churches. Between 1955 and 1980 a member of the family had a foundry in Greenwood, South Carolina.

KB: When was the last bell made at the foundry?

After WW II the last Andries Heero (V) saw that the firm could not survive by casting bells. He tried to concentrate on the production of fire engines (they had been building firefighting equipment for more than 100 years), but it was too late: in 1975 the last carillon was cast.

KB: Describe for the RSR readers what they would see on a visit to the museum?

First, you enter a room where a number of bells by various founders are displayed. The oldest dates from 1344; the largest weighs more than 1.100 kg. The room is dominated by the large tuning machine; bells are tuned by removing metal from the inside, thereby lowering the tone. Then you enter the pit where the bells were cast. There you see a film that explains the process. That film dates from the 1950s, but the process hasn’t changed since then, so it gives you a good idea of how bells are cast. The next room displays a number of bells that were cast by the two Van Bergen foundries, Heiligerlee and Midwolda. It is dominated by the two largest bells of the carillon of the cathedral of Utrecht (2.200 resp. 1.750 kg). You also see a number of mechanical and electric tower clocks and a large machine to mechanically play a carillon. There is a simple set of bells on which you can try your hand at playing. On the second floor you’ll see the history of the Van Bergen family and a room for temporary exhibits. Outside you see the oven where the bronze was melted and a tower with a carillon with 49 bells. It plays every hour. You can book a demonstration, where you can cast your own little tin bell.

KB: What is the Battle of Heiligerlee?

In the 16th century the Low Countries were part of the Habsburg empire. King Philip II was a fanatical catholic, who wanted to destroy the upcoming Protestantism. As trade in these lands benefitted greatly from a peaceful cohabitation of Catholics and protestants, the local nobility and wealthy merchant class resisted the heavy-handed rule of Philip’s representative, the Duke of Alva, upon to the point where they started an armed insurrection. Their leader, William the Silent, the Prince of Orange, devised a two- pronged plan with invasions in the south and the north, to conquer the town of Groningen. The southern campaign failed. The northern campaign, commanded by Williams younger brothers Louis and Adolf, faded when Groningen refused to yield. The magistrate of Groningen, the Count of Arenberg, wanted to defeat the invaders, but was beaten on May 23, 1568 near Heiligerlee. In that battle Arenberg and Count Adolf were killed. The battle was the start of the 80 Years War; in 1648 the Habsburgs gave up and the Low Countries, consisting of modern day Belgium, the Netherlands and the north of France, became a sovereign republic: a unique situation among the surrounding monarchies and the onset of the Dutch Golden Age.

KB: Who was Count Adolf and since when is his statue in the village?

Adolf van Nassau- Siegen was the youngest brother of William van Nassau, prince of Orange, called William the Silent. He commanded the cavalry at Heiligerlee and was killed at the age of 28. History has it that he was killed by Arenberg, but that is romantic fiction: his horse bolted and took him right into the Spanish line. The monument was unveiled in 1873.

KB: Has Heiligerlee and the museums appeared in movies or series?

As far as I know: no. The first years of the 80 Years War are generally neglected by the historians, who place the beginning of the war at the conquest of Brielle, on April 1, 1572. In a TV series about the 80 Years War in 2018 the Battle of Heiligerlee was barely mentioned.

Check out the museum’s website: HERE

Find the museum on Facebook: HERE

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