The spoils of war are ringing in the tower
They can be heard every day: the bells of St. Nikolai Church in Apen. One of the two heavy orchestras has a special story: it was spoiled during the Thirty Years' War.
Apen “Our parish has already been visited by a group from the East Frisian Rysum, but they have not made any claims to our church bell. In any case, the deed has long since become statute-barred ”, laughs Apens Pastor Peter Kunst.
The Lutheran parish of Apen has a special relationship with Rysum near Emden: the larger of the two orchestras from the Aper bell tower comes from East Frisia and is spoils of war. During the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648) soldiers of Count von Mansfeld brought the valuable bronze bell, which had been cast in 1621, to the Ammerland. “At first the bell was buried in the sand because it had become too heavy for the fleeing troops.