Photo: Jan van Dalen
Musical Sounds of Johann Sebastian Bach and Jan Zwart
After the welcoming speech by director Meike Verhagen, Mayor Ahmed Marcouch and Commissioner of the King Daniël Wigboldus set the organ in motion again with the bellows. The Commissioner of the King expressed his great appreciation for the efforts of craftsmen and donors. He called the Eusebius Church a symbol of resilience for Arnhem. City organist Johan Luijmes and trumpeter Tonnie Kievits provided music for the guests and organ enthusiasts.
Future-Proof Heritage Scheme
The extensive restoration of the organ cost a total of € 1,457,000. The municipality of Arnhem, the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE), and various funds (such as the Cultural Fund and Insurer Donatus) contributed to the restoration. We financed € 374,500 from the subsidy scheme Future-Proof Heritage.Thanks to this restoration, the unique musical heritage has been preserved, and the organ can sound again in the coming years.
Accelerated Restoration
The restoration was accelerated after a leak in 2021, where a coupling of a water pipe above the organ broke loose. In consultation with the insurer, it was decided to combine the repairs with the planned restoration. 20 craftsmen worked on restoring the internal structure, the organ case, and the more than 3,500 organ pipes. The electric wind motor from the 1960s was also replaced with a bellows system with 8 bellows, restoring the original wind supply from 1795.
From Amsterdam to Arnhem
The Strumphler organ was built in 1796 by Johannes Strumphler for a church in Amsterdam. In 1951, it was moved to Arnhem, where it found a prominent place in the Eusebius Church. The organ gained national fame as organist Jan Zwart played it weekly for the radio around 1920.