The famous Salzburg Glockenspiel is hidden under the roof of the tower that stands on Mozartplatz, next to the New Residence. You do not see it, but it is there! Three times a day the bell tower reminds everyone of itself with its melodic chimes – at 7:00, 11:00, and 18:00. To listen to the carillon — a musical instrument made of bells — both tourists and local residents come here.
The history of the musical bell tower begins in 1695. At that time Archbishop Johann Ernst Graf Thun bought 35 bells made by the master Melchior de Haze from the Belgian city of Antwerp. The tonal range of the purchased bells covered more than three octaves, including all semitones.
In 1702, the Salzburg gunsmith Franz Sulzer, with the help of bell maker Benedict Eisenberg, created an incredibly complex mechanism for its time, consisting of a drive and a brass drum. In the drum, clockmaker Jeremiah Sauter made 7964 holes necessary for the functioning of the entire mechanism.
Since 1704, the carillon has been delighting the residents of Salzburg every day with bell music. In total, it plays 40 melodies, 16 of which are works by Haydn. Mozart began to be heard later — already in the 19th century.
In 1873, clockmaker Johann Fischer installed a special clock mechanism on the bell tower that was supposed to “switch on” the music at specific times of day. This device still exists — it can be seen during a tour of the tower, but its functions have recently been taken over by an electric timer.
In 2009-2010, the carillon underwent updates and modernization, but the enchanting music of the bell chimes has remained unchanged for several centuries already.
