Grassmayr Bell Foundry

Overview

The Grassmayr Bell Foundry is a family-owned bell-making workshop and museum that has been casting bells in Innsbruck since 1599. Now in its 14th generation, it is one of the oldest family businesses in Europe and the only bell foundry with its own museum.

Highlights

• Bell Museum: Traces 400+ years of bell-casting history, acoustics, and the physics of sound.
• Sound Room: An interactive space where visitors can hear and feel the vibrations of different bell tones.
• Foundry Tour: Occasional live demonstrations of the sand-casting process.

History

Bartholomäus Grassmayr founded the foundry in 1599. The family has cast over 13,000 bells for churches, temples, and secular buildings worldwide, including one of the largest bells in the world — a 25-tonne casting for a Chinese temple.

Visitor Tips

• Closed Sundays and public holidays.
• Call ahead to check for live casting demonstration schedules.
• Duration: 45–60 minutes.