Libraries are usually quiet. Aarhus’s main library is no different, except when “Gongen” (‘The Gong’) rings a few times a day. Said to be the world’s largest tubular bell, it stands prominently in the building, measuring about 25 feet long (7.5 meters) and weighing around 6,600 pounds (3 tons).
Whenever a child is born in Aarhus, the newborn’s parents can choose to announce it remotely by pressing a button at the hospital, which triggers the striking arm of the library bell. Designed by artist Kirstine Roepstorff and engraved with a combined sun and infinity motif symbolizing new life, the bell sounds once to mark the birth.
Cast in bronze in 2015 by the Grassmayr Bell Foundry in Austria, the bell was installed as part of the city’s preparations for Aarhus becoming European Capital of Culture in 2017. Its hollow tubular design produces a deep, resonant tone distinct from traditional cast bells.
