Las sandalias de Ulises
Old bells
In 1732, Prussian King Frederick William I, also known as "The Soldier King" ordered a church to be built in Potsdam to be used by elite soldiers. In 1736, they installed a carillon of 40 bells in the steeple of the church. In 1796, Queen Louise asked for two hymns from the bell and for the next 149 years, the Carillon played "Bless the Lord" on top and "Always Faithful and True" at the bottom of every hour. It became world famous and "Always Faithful and True" became the unofficial national anthem of Prussia. On the night of April 14-15, 1945, Potsdam was the target of a British air raid. The tower was on fire, but the chime kept playing Prussia's favorite song, until it fell to the ground.
Potsdam was in the Soviet zone and later East Germany and the church was never rebuilt. But in 1987, the soldiers of Iserlohn, West German paratroopers got the funds to rebuild it. After German reunification, the soldiers presented the reconstructed Carillon to Potsdam. This is the former location of the church, which still plays the favorite songs of Prussia.
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