19??-?? Henk Held (d.<1992)
1977-2002 Dirk S. Donker
*Contact:
Ms. F. Hilberink
T: 0527-633911
E: f.hilberink/@/noordoostpolder DOTnl
*Schedule:
Thursday 1100-1200, Friday 1900-2000
*Remarks:
Only tower in the Netherlands with a
lift to the playing cabin.
Bass bell also swings.
A replica of this tower stands in the
sister city of Mizumaki, Japan.
Renovated in 2020 by Eijsbouts, with
new keyboard.
*Technical data:
Traditional carillon of 48 bells
Pitch of heaviest bell is C in the middle octave
Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
Keyboard range: C C / C G
There is one missing bass semitone
The presence or absence of a practice console is unknown
The whole instrument was installed in 1959
with bells made by Eijsbouts
Auxiliary mechanisms: E38S1
Tower details:
Height of console: 43 meters above ground
Height of lowest level of bells: 47 meters above ground
Height of highest level of bells: 52 meters above ground
Belfry openness: 50%
Year of latest technical information source is 2019
*Links:
The city Website has a
page about the building,
announcing open hours during the summer, even though the office spaces are vacant.
It also says (Google translation),
"The Poldertoren is equipped with a figure tower that comes out during the hour
and a half.
This "music box" was presented on the occasion of 50 years of the Noordoostpolder
and put into use on 9 Sept 1992 by Premier Lubbers.
The quality of the firguren circulation is hylarian.
The pigeons shatter the machine.
Every self-respecting city council member turns this into an election stunt.
On Monday, March 29, 2010, after thorough restoration, it was put back into use."
A long
page about the carillon
has many photos (though some of them are rather small) plus an audio clip.
The Dutch Wikipedia
article about the building
has a photo of it, and says
"The tower was purchased by the municipality of Noordoostpolder in 2005.
Among other things, the tower housed the tourist office with ANWB shop,
an office and, at the height of the clock, the Sonoy restaurant with a Michelin star.
However, because the municipality could no longer finance maintenance,
the tower became vacant in 2013."
Reportedly all bells are inscribed, but only the inscriptions for 18 of them are listed.