Zurich’s last bell ringer

The inconspicuous St Anna’s chapel lies in the heart of Zurich. Every Sunday and on church holidays the bells are rung by hand - a tradition that is dying out.

For 20 years Rudolf Brauchli has been sharing this duty with a colleague, working alternate weeks. The 60-year-old is the last bellringer in canton Zurich to ring bells by hand. The other churches have been using an electronic system for years.

St Anna’s chapel is located on what was once the site of the Füssli bell foundry and belongs to the Protestant Society of Canton Zurich. It was built by the architects Bischoff and Weideli in 1910 and is now a listed building. The chapel was founded by Mathilde Escher, daughter of the co-founder of the Escher Wyss industrial company.

swissinfo.ch was able accompany Rudolf Brauchli during a Sunday church service. To find out how the bells sound, click below.