Exceptional document in the sphere of a bell tower on the Brenner Pass
“Russia is warned”. It is the title of the Tyrolean daily newspaper of April 1, 1949. Exactly 73 years later, the surprisingly uptodate article was found during the renovation of a church on the Brenner Pass. “History repeats itself,” says incredulous Peter Trenkwalder, owner of Trenkwalder & Partner, a roofing and roofing company that carries out the work on the parish church of Gries am Brenner.
The village with 1,300 inhabitants is on the Austrian side of the pass. The parish church dedicated to the Visitation of Mary is currently being renovated. On the top of the bell tower, a golden sphere supports the crucifix. As so often in the Alps, this metal ball contains a “time capsule”. It is a metal tube in which historical documents from the period of construction of the church and its subsequent renovation are kept.
The sphere was dismantled for restoration and the capsule opened in the presence of the parish priest, the mayor and the municipal council. “Exceptional documents, objects and coins were found inside,” says the master tinsmith of the Val di Vizze. The historical material refers to the inauguration year 1826 and the renovation years 1927 and 1949. “The work was always carried out between the end of March and the beginning of April,” says Trenkwalder. “The extraordinary thing is that the newspaper articles from both 1927 and 1949 talk about war, the wind of war and Russia.” In fact, the Tyrolean daily newspaper of April 1, 1949 begins with Winston Churchill’s warning to Russia. “14 men in the Kremlin want to rule the world,” the prime minister is quoted as saying and continues: “Soviet heads of state fear friendship with the West more than enmity.” In the Kremlin Churchill continues “we ask nothing but good will and an open game of cards”. Words that were uttered exactly 73 years ago, but which could also have been said today.
Once the restoration is complete, the sphere will return to the bell tower of Gries am Brenner church. The time capsule will be supplemented with an uptodate document on the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. “Whoever comes after us and climbs the bell tower to renovate it will see that history repeats itself and people cannot learn from it,” said Trenkwalder.
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