The art of organ building - an immaterial heritage of Germany

• The art of organ building has a long tradition in Germany. Organs have been built and played in Central Europe for over 1200 years. Organ playing has its greatest importance in the Christian liturgy . 
• Organ builders not only build the instruments, but also design and construct them. They determine the sound of the instrument and also take care of maintaining and cleaning organs and tuning them.
• Organ building, together with organ music, was included in the worldwide register of immaterial cultural heritage in

  

  The Beckerath-organ of St. Pius church in
  Obertshausen. The Beckerath company
  is an organ manufacturer from Hamburg.
  Picture: A.Murmann CC-BY-SA 4.0

  2017 as a form of culture and craftsmanship.
• Germany is the organ country - hardly any other country has so many organs. Since the Baroque period, many famous composers have written organ works, for example Johann Sebastian Bach or Brahms and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
• The particularly rich and lively culture of organ building and organ music is demonstrated by 50,000 organs in Germany, 400 organ building companies with approx. 1,800 employees and 180 trainees as well as 3,500 full-time and ten thousand honorary organists.
• Most organs in Germany are located in churches.