Myth and triumphal procession: the pummerin bell

The Pummerin became the ‘voice of Austria’ not only because it was framed as a symbol of the resurrected Republic. Its sound became rooted in the nation’s collective consciousness also because of the ORF, Austria’s broadcasting corporation. As early as new year 1951/1952 the Pummerin, at this point still located in the courtyard of the Linz Provincial Museum, was heard on the radio marking the turn of the year – and it has rung in the new year ever since. In April 1952 a procession conveyed the Pummerin, which was donated by the province of Upper Austria and cast in St Florian, from Linz to Vienna. After months of planning, this ‘triumphal procession’ passed through towns and villages in Upper and Lower Austria on its journey from Linz to Vienna. It was a perfectly staged media event with speakers, music ensembles, groups in traditional dress and flag bearers welcoming the Pummerin at each point along the way. Crowds of people gathered to form guards of honour, giving the bell’s procession a carnival atmosphere.

At a time when the Allied administration was still in place, the Pummerin was seen by the Austrian people as confirmation of the country’s sovereignty and as a symbol of peace. Church and state consciously instrumentalised the reopening of the cathedral and the transporting of the Pummerin to create a feeling of community. The blessing on 26 April 1952 was orchestrated as a great spectacle, with 200 people pulling the bell through the great portal of St Stephen’s Cathedral – the culmination of the staging process that transformed St Stephen’s Cathedral into a symbol of an Austrian national identity.