Pipe organ in St. Peter und Paul, Baroque pipe organ in Saint Peter and Paul Church, Görlitz, Germany
The Sonnenorgel in St. Peter and Paul Church in Görlitz is a Baroque pipe organ with 91 registers spread across four manuals and a pedal. Its decorative wooden case is topped by 17 gilded suns that give the instrument its name.
The organ was built between 1697 and 1703 by Italian organ makers Johann Eugen and Adam Orazio Casparini. After suffering damage over the centuries, it was completely rebuilt by the firm Mathis Orgelbau in 1997.
The instrument is called the Sonnenorgel because of the gilded suns decorating its case. Anyone who looks up toward the gallery immediately notices these golden ornaments standing out against the wooden structure.
The organ stands on the church gallery, where you can see the full instrument from below or from nearby. Visiting during a concert or service gives you the chance to hear it played live.
The Sonnenorgel has a register called the Sonnenmixtur, made of 12 pipe ranks placed directly behind the decorative suns on the case. This register produces a bright, shimmering tone that mirrors the look of the golden ornaments.
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