Dornum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dornum is a village and a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the North Sea coast, approx. 15 km east of Norden, and 20 km north of Aurich.

The St. Bartholomaeus Church in Dornum has the largest still-existing pipe organ built by the famous organ builder Gerhard von Holy. It was built in 1710/11. It was modified in 1883/84 to suit then-contemporary music tastes, and some original parts were removed. More parts were removed as war material (organ pipes are mostly lead) in 1917. Some parts were replaced in 1932 and 1935/37. The organ was damaged due to low-humidity conditions caused by a heating system in the 1960's. In 1997/98 it was rebuilt by Orgelwerkstatt Juegen Ahrend, and now is protected as a national treasure. As is the case with many churches in this northwest corner of Germany, the church itself is smaller than those in other areas, and the organ dominates the interior. Concerts and classes are often held in the summer months-see www.nachtorgel.de. A few towns of Dornum are: Neßmersiel, Dornumersiel, Nesse, Roggenstede, Westerbur, Westeraccum, Schwittersum.