Decision made after online survey Newcomers complain - municipality turns off church bells
From September 1, the bells of the reformed church in the center of Effretikon ZH will fall silent during the night. The parish is responding to requests from local residents - the bells in Illnau and Kyburg will remain unchanged.
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- The parish of Illnau-Effretikon is adjusting the ringing regulations for the Effretikon site.
- In future, the bells of the concrete church will fall silent between 10.01 pm and 6.59 am.
- In Illnau and Kyburg, the nightly hourly chime will continue.
The Evangelical Reformed parish of Illnau-Effretikon is drawing the consequences of the ongoing discussions about bell ringing. From September 1, the bells of the striking concrete church in the center of Effretikon will no longer be heard between 10.01 pm and 6.59 am.
This is the church administration's response to increased requests from the public for a quieter night, as reported by theTages-Anzeigernewspaper
This was triggered by an online survey in which 326 people took part. 58 percent were in favor of the existing chimes, while 42 percent - mainly from Effretikon - called for a reduction, especially during the night. These votes have now tipped the scales in favor of the change.
In Illnau and in the Kyburg outpost, everything remains the same. There, the clock will continue to strike every hour, even at night. The church administration justifies the different regulations with the different circumstances: While Effretikon is densely populated and new housing is being built, the situation is different in the more rural parts of the parish.
Municipality seeks the middle way
The survey also showed how important the ringing of bells is to the population. Many associate it with tradition, home and cultural heritage, while others see it as a time signal and orientation. However, 83 respondents described the ringing simply as noise. Other issues were also discussed, such as the length of the ringing of church services or funeral bells.
With the new regulation, the church administration wants to take a middle course: "The bells will retain their character and significance - but they will ring more consciously, more considerately and adapted to modern life," it says in the press release. The aim is to strengthen night-time peace in the town of Effretikon without completely abandoning church tradition.
