Carillon bells return to Amsterdam's Westertoren, but chimes won't ring out until June

Several dozen carillon bells were put back in place in the Westertoren in Amsterdam on Tuesday. The tower is part of the Westerkerk, a 17th century church on the border of the Jordaan neighborhood.

The largest bell was the first to be hoisted up in the morning. A spokesperson for the municipality said that all 50 bells were expected to be put back in place by the afternoon. Renovation work to refurbish the tower started earlier this year.

This entailed replacing the rusty frame which house the loud, hanging carillon bells. “The first bell weighs 750 kilograms and was hoisted up to a height of 55 meters. We will start with the second one shortly,” the spokesperson said at around 9 a.m. “it took around an hour, but it went very well.”

Although the largest carillon bells were hoisted up on Tuesday morning, the smaller bells were expected to be brought up the tower with a construction elevator.

The bells can be played again near the end of June. The spokesperson added that the municipality will organize a mini-concert to mark the occasion.

Maintenance of the tower is expected to be finished by the end of the year. The project includes restoring the masonry, lead work, and natural stone. The church building will still be used during the maintenance, but the tower is inaccessible to the public.

The Westertoren, also called Lange Jan, Ouwe Wester, or Parel van de Jordaan, was built in 1638. It is owned by the City of Amsterdam.