Maria Alm church bells remain silent after lightning strike

The church bells in Maria Alm, a community in Salzburg’s Pinzgau region, are still silent after a lightning strike severely damaged their electronics in mid-August, ORF reported Tuesday.

Repair work was expected to be completed by the end of August, but parish priest Franz Auer said replacement parts are still needed. The parish is awaiting information from an expert in Vienna before the work can begin.

Each of the church tower’s five bells has a circuit board, and all five were damaged by the lightning strike. The electronics of the tower clock were also affected.

The 84-metre church tower is the highest in Salzburg province and in the Archdiocese of Salzburg. Auer said he had spoken with a bell technician, who was trying to make time for the repair this week.

Three weddings, a baptism and the Sunday service are scheduled in Maria Alm this coming weekend. Residents have become accustomed to the silence, Auer said, adding that people had told him they were oversleeping because the bells no longer rang at 6 a.m.

Auer expects the bells and the tower clock to be repaired this week. If that happens, the technician will conduct a test ringing. The clock normally strikes every 15 minutes.