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Contact: National Park Service: Aaron LaRocca, 202-438-6619
Contact: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Carla Bundy, 202-413-9786
Arlington, Va.— The Netherlands Carillon is one step closer to achieving “grand carillon” status. The National Park Service (NPS) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands today lifted the new Marshall Bell into the carillon, celebrating a major milestone of the project to restore the bells and carillon tower. When the restoration is completed this fall and all 53 bells are installed, the Netherlands Carillon will be a “grand carillon.”
Ambassador André Haspels of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and George Washington Memorial Parkway Superintendent Charles Cuvelier, National Park Service, signaled a crane to lift the Marshall Bell, which measures just 5 feet in diameter and weights more than 7,500 pounds (three times heavier than the Liberty Bell). The bell is named in honor of Secretary of State George C. Marshall. The Marshall Bell is decorated with classic Dutch images including windmills, cheese carriers, the coat of arms of the Netherlands and a 75 Years of Freedom logo.
“Secretary of State George Marshall was the architect of the European Recovery Plan, which laid the foundation for Europe to rebuild after World War II. The Marshall Bell is a symbol of the gratitude the Dutch people hold for the United States and the aid it provided the Netherlands,” said André Haspels, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. “As the Marshall Bell is raised, it will soon be joined by 52 other bells. And when those bells chime, they will amplify the harmony between our two nations.”
Two additional new bells named in honor of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and humanitarian and former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt will be added to the carillon for the first time later this year. The NPS in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands started the restoration of the carillon in 2019. 50 bells were shipped to the Netherlands to be tuned and the three new bells were cast there in 2020. The restoration is expected to be completed by fall of this year.
“The National Park Service is proud to serve as a steward of this enduring symbol of the partnership between the Netherlands and the United States," Superintendent Cuvelier said. “We look forward to completing the restoration of the Netherlands Carillon later this year and sharing its music with visitors and the community once again.”
The Netherlands Carillon is a symbol of Dutch gratitude to the American people for helping liberate the Netherlands during World War II and providing aid to rebuild the Dutch economy through the Marshall Plan. It symbolizes the friendship between the people of two countries, rooted in common allegiance to the principles of freedom, justice and democracy.
In 1954, the first bells were installed in the carillon, which was then located in West Potomac Park. Since 1960, the Netherlands Carillon has stood adjacent to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington Ridge Park. Throughout the year, people attend live concerts of jazz, pop and patriotic music performed by carillonneurs.
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Last updated: May 26, 2021