Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock

Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock is a bell foundry and art casting manufactory (Glocken- und Kunstgießerei) headquartered in the Westphalian town of Gescher, Germany. According to the company's own information, it has existed since 1690, making it one of the oldest continuously operating bell foundries in Europe. The firm's roots reach back further, to the mid-17th century in Lorraine, where bell and cannon founder Jean Francois Petit married Maria Julliens, daughter of bell founder Nicolas Julliens, in 1688. The Petit family moved to Nederweert in the southern Netherlands around 1715 and later established foundries in various locations. In 1787 Alexius Petit the Elder arrived in Gescher, and his son Alexius Petit the Younger settled there permanently in 1806, building a foundry with a 5,000 kg furnace. In 1823 Alexius the Younger took his two nephews Joseph and Bernhard Wilhelm Edelbrock into the business; after his death in 1842 they continued it as Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock. The foundry was awarded a silver medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1855. Leadership passed through the Edelbrock family until 1912, when Carl Edelbrock emigrated to the USA and entrusted the firm to Werner Hüesker. The Hüesker family led the company from 1912 to 2010. During World War II, bell casting was prohibited and production shifted to armament components, pipes, siphons and six-way valves. After the war, bell production resumed; in October 1948 the foundry cast the largest bell set made in Germany after World War II for the Catholic parish in Lindenberg im Allgäu, weighing 18,500 kg total. In 1956 the company briefly added grey iron casting, but soon switched to art casting (Kunstguss). In 1988 Florence Hüesker cast the heaviest bell made in Germany after the war, weighing 13,000 kg. In 1995 her son Hans-Göran Hüesker took over and introduced computer-controlled firing processes. He died on 17 August 2019. On 27 July 2010, insolvency proceedings were opened at the Münster District Court. The company subsequently reorganized and continues to operate today, offering bell and church technology, art casting, and a shop and tourism program. Its product range includes church bells, carillons, artistic castings, and related services. The official website lists categories such as GLOCKEN- UND KIRCHENTECHNIK (bell and church technology), KUNSTGUSS-MANUFAKTUR (art casting manufactory), and SHOP & TOURISMUS (shop and tourism).

The origins of Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock reach back to the mid-17th century in Lorraine, where the bell and cannon founder Jean Francois Petit married Maria Julliens, daughter of the bell founder Nicolas Julliens, on 29 November 1688. Together they cast bells in Lorraine and Germany. Around 1715, likely due to Huguenot persecution and the resulting economic decline, the Petits moved to Nederweert in the southern Netherlands. Between 1718 and 1721, the brothers Joseph and Jean Petit traveled through the Netherlands, the Rhineland and Westphalia, casting bells together. Through Joseph's marriage to Johanna Maria Guns on 27 January 1720, the family acquired De Donck Castle, where they established a permanent bell foundry. Jean founded foundries in Niederelten near Emmerich in 1743 and in Hünxe in 1744. In 1745 Alexius Petit the Elder, eldest son of Joseph, took over the bell foundry. He also founded a brewery but lost control of the business, forcing him to sell the castle in 1778 to the brothers Johan and Philip de Rooij. He then traveled with his sons through the Netherlands, the Rhineland and Westphalia as bell founders. In 1787 Alexius went to Gescher, where he established a foundry in the following years. The first bell cast in Gescher was a recast of a bell from St. Pankratius. His son Alexius Petit the Younger granted longer warranty periods of up to four years in the 1790s. After his father's death in 1801, Alexius the Younger settled permanently in Gescher on 19 February 1806. In December he married Maria Theodora Catharina Agnes Elisabeth Edelbrock from Horstmar and became a citizen of Gescher on 2 January 1808. Immediately after settling, he built a foundry site on Hofstraße with a furnace capacity of 5,000 kg. His skills were noted in the Düsseldorfer Zeitung on 26 July 1841, stating that he had cast 447 bells without a single failed casting and none had cracked. His marriage remained childless, so in 1823 Alexius the Younger decided to take his two nephews Joseph and Bernhard Wilhelm Edelbrock into the business. After his death in 1842, they continued the company as Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock. They were honored with a silver medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1855. After Bernhard Wilhelm's death in 1859 and Joseph's death in 1885, the foundry passed to Rudolf Edelbrock (full name Theodor Hugo Rudolf Edelbrock), who had already taken over management. From his marriage to Crescentia Mayer from Hechingen came Carl Edelbrock, who took over the foundry in 1899. He is considered the most important bell founder of the Edelbrock family and produced a number of famous bells and peals, but emigrated to the USA in 1912. Because Carl Edelbrock's only son had died in an accident, he transferred management to his friend and relative Werner Hüesker. Hüesker led the foundry through the difficult economic situation during World War I and the hyperinflation of the Weimar Republic. After the economic situation improved, a third bell pit and a 13,000 kg furnace were built in 1925. This furnace is still in operation today. After Werner Hüesker's death in 1932, his son Hans took over the foundry. During World War II, casting new bells was prohibited and production was limited to armament components as well as pipes, siphons and six-way valves. After the war and the repair of war damage, bell production resumed. The first bell cast was for the emergency church in Coesfeld. In October 1948, the largest bell set cast in Germany after World War II was produced for the Catholic parish in Lindenberg im Allgäu, with a total weight of 18,500 kg. In 1956, grey iron production was added, but discontinued a few years later because the necessary machines would not fit in the factory halls. Instead, the company focused on art casting. After Hans Hüesker's death in 1979, his wife Florence Hüesker took over the company. She had been involved since their marriage in 1959. In 1988 she cast the heaviest bell made in Germany after World War II, weighing 13,000 kg. In 1995, after Florence Hüesker's death, leadership passed to her son Hans-Göran Hüesker, under whom computer-controlled firing processes were introduced. Hans-Göran Hüesker died on 17 August 2019 at the age of 58. On 27 July 2010, insolvency proceedings were opened at the Münster District Court. The company reorganized and continues to operate, offering bell and church technology, art casting, and shop and tourism activities.

• 2019

  Hans-Göran Hüesker dies on 17 August at age 58.

• 2010

  Insolvency proceedings opened at Münster District Court on 27 July.

• 1995

  Hans-Göran Hüesker takes over; computer-controlled firing processes introduced.

• 1988

  Florence Hüesker casts the heaviest bell in Germany after WWII, weighing 13,000 kg.

• 1979

  Florence Hüesker takes over after Hans Hüesker's death.

• 1956

  Grey iron production added, later discontinued; focus shifts to art casting.

• 1948

  Casts the largest bell set in Germany after WWII for Lindenberg im Allgäu, weighing 18,500 kg.

• 1932

  Hans Hüesker takes over after Werner Hüesker's death.

• 1925

  Third bell pit and a 13,000 kg furnace built; furnace still in operation.

• 1912

  Carl Edelbrock emigrates to the USA; Werner Hüesker takes over management.

• 1899

  Carl Edelbrock takes over the foundry.

• 1855

  Awarded silver medal at the Paris World Exhibition.

• 1842

  After Alexius the Younger's death, the nephews continue as Petit & Gebr. Edelbrock.

• 1823

  Alexius the Younger takes nephews Joseph and Bernhard Wilhelm Edelbrock into the business.

• 1806

  Alexius Petit the Younger settles permanently in Gescher and builds a foundry with a 5,000 kg furnace.

• 1787

  Alexius Petit the Elder arrives in Gescher and establishes a foundry.

• 1745

  Alexius Petit the Elder takes over the bell foundry.

• 1720

  Joseph Petit marries Johanna Maria Guns and acquires De Donck Castle, establishing a permanent foundry.

• 1715

  Petit family moves to Nederweert in the southern Netherlands.

• 1690

  Official founding date of the company (birth year of Joseph Petit).

• 1688

  Jean Francois Petit marries Maria Julliens, daughter of bell founder Nicolas Julliens.

Traditional German bell foundry and art casting manufactory with centuries of craftsmanship, serving churches and art markets.

• Church bells

  Bells cast for churches and religious institutions.

• Carillons

  Sets of tuned bells played as musical instruments.

• Art castings

  Artistic bronze and metal castings produced in the Kunstguss manufactory.

• Bell and church technology

  Technical equipment and services for bell systems and churches.

1. 1Official websitepetit-edelbrock-gescher.de
2. 2Firmengeschichtepetit-edelbrock-gescher.de
3. 3Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
4. 4Wikidatawikidata.org