Outdoor Exhibition: "The New Bells of Netherlands Carillon" MAY 6-8

4200 Linnean Avenue Northwest,Washington DC 20008

06 May, 2021

Description

The three new bells that will be added to the Netherlands Carillon will be exhibited at the Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C. "The New Bells of Netherlands Carillon" The three new bells that will be added to the Netherlands Carillon will be the centerpieces of an exhibit at the Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C., May 6-8 to celebrate the liberation of the Netherlands from occupation in World War II. Please join us for this socially distanced exhibit by signing up for one of the available time slots (max. of 12 people per time slot). We are also open on Saturday! The three bells are dedicated to three influential Americans whose legacy impacted the world, including the Netherlands, during and after World War II: Secretary George C. Marshall, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and human rights advocate Eleanor Roosevelt. The bells were cast in the Netherlands and will be added to the Netherlands Carillon, in Arlington, Va., after the exhibition. The exhibit will offer an unique opportunity for people to see up close the beautiful ornaments of the bells. The largest of the bells, the "Marshall bell," is as tall as an average American man! Visitors will also learn about the history of the Netherlands Carillon. About the Netherlands Carillon The carillon was a gift from the people of the Netherlands to the people of the United States as a gesture of gratitude for America’s contribution to the liberation of the Netherlands and for the Marshall Plan that helped rebuild the Dutch/European economy. The musical instrument was symbolically presented to the United States in 1952. In 1954 the bells were placed in a temporary tower in Washington, D.C. In 1960, the bells found a permanent home in a 127-foot-tall tower in Arlington Ridge Park in Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The current renovation of the Netherlands Carillon (bell tower and bells) began in 2019 and is expected to be finished by autumn of this year. To increase the musical capacity of the instruments, three new bells will be added to the existing 50 bells.