Accessibility information

The Bells of Nuremburg

A film by Martina Baeurle & Nigel H Seymour                                                                           

Over the past two years I have been lucky enough to be able discover Europe both in the capacity of musician and visitor, and it was while visiting the famous nazi parade grounds in the old city of Nuremberg with the hope of securing a concert in the famous church of St. Sebald that I first thought about making a documentary film which would incorporate my interest in second world war history and the holocaust. 

MartinaMy partner Martina is German, and we had wondered across the city together in order to look inside this most magnificent cathedral.

During the numerous bombing raids made on the city by the British bombers during the second world war the cathedral received substantial damage and the bells which were in it’s two towers were literally ’blown out’ of them.  Around the walls of the cathedrals interior are pictures of the bomb damage and it was while stood by a crucifix, which was made from a piece of metal taken from a bomb damaged Coventry Cathedral in the UK that a ’melody’ suddenly crossed my mind.  Now in the silence of this vast beautiful space bells had begun to ring. They were very low at first just discernable in the endless acoustics. I listened to these bells and then for no apparent reason I sang my melody to their ringing tones. Then the words came as instantly as the tune had arrived, as though I was being given something special.

’It was the sound in this place, and the quiet celebration of your peace, I watch your spirit shine.’

I recorded the tune on my small video camera, and from that moment we began work on collating information, which would lead to the development of a documentary film based on the subject of ’Forgiveness’ The journey would be to the heart of ’forgiveness’

During one cold afternoon we arrived at Dachau Concentration Camp in Bavaria, one of the first of it’s kind in the German Third Reich. I’d visited the camp in previous years while a student at the music school in Munich. At one point during that afternoon there were bells ringing out.  Their peals lingered among the silence of the ’death camp’. My initial thought after standing and just listening was about ’Forgiveness’

We were then at Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp in Poland for the 60th anniversary of the liberation. During this visit which was in the height of the Polish winter we were lucky enough to meet ’Maria’ who was to become the central point of the documentary film. Maria had been a child prisoner in Auschwitz and subjected to some awful experiments at the hands of the infamous Doctor Joseph Mengele.

After a long deliberation, Maria decided to come back with us to the camp and revisit the experimental lab where Mengele had carried out the terrible atrocities.  Auschwitz administration made the building available for this special occasion.

Martina has had to endure some very humbling moments during the process of making this film to date. She has required to come to terms with herself within the confides of her own conscience and spirit with what actually happened at the hands of the ’Nazis’ and she has thought a lot about the subject of ’forgiveness’

Our journey then took us to Israel twice in the year following in the footsteps of ’Jesus’ who forgave the world in order to try and learn more about the Jewish way of life and living.  We lived with the German monks in a monastery on Mount Zion where Jesus was said to have held the last supper.  During a filmed interview with the abbot there he talked about his understanding of the word ’Forgiveness’ and how he tries, in his way to live  ’forgiveness’ in the world today.

We were able to move in the Jewish quarter in Jerusalem and enter into the world of the ’Jews’ and listen to some of their own thoughts on ’Forgiveness’ and whether they could ’forgive’ the Germans for the sufferings inflicted by them upon their people. The Jewish philosophy on the subject is complex and it is difficult to find the right approach to understand this.

We made no less than three consecutive visits to Auschwitz on three occasions. Summer, Autumn and winter and two of the occasions I met up with Maria. On one of these occasions while working with Maria, Martina became upset. Maria in her simplicity and graciousness simply embraced Martina and whispered.

’I forgive the Nazi’s for what they did to my family and me. I forgave them a long time ago, and I love you such a lot Martina! But my family and me were separated on the ramp in Auschwitz- Birkenau forever, and Mengele   made me what I am today. But If I cannot forgive them for what they did, then what is the point in living?  Without forgiveness my life is not possible!’

One survivor of the Auschwitz camp describes his experience.

’The time there is not the concept as is here on our planet! Every fraction of a second passed there was a different rate of time. All the inhabitants of that world had no names, they had no parents, and they had no children. They were not clothed as we are clothed here. They were not born there nor were they conceived there. They breathed and lived according to a different law of nature. They did not live according to the laws of this world of ours, and they did not die. Their name was a number tattooed on their arm. They were the chosen ones.’

Perhaps forgiveness could be described as a miracle of a new beginning. It is to start where we are not where we wish we were or the other person was. It is to hold out a hand and wish to renew a friendship. It may not alleviate hurt and it does not deny past injury and it does not ignore the possibility and need for repentance and change It means dealing with barriers.

I have written all the music for the documentary film, and presently work is in the Post production process.  The music highlights the use of cello and will be available On CD at some time in the near future.  I will keep you posted on this page in relation to any future developments.

Nigel