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Prague cathedral s long-awaited organ to pipe up in 2026 Estelle.Bronkhorst Wed, 11/12/2025 - 15:00 PRAGUE - Prague s St. Vitus Cathedral, a favourite feature of postcards from the Czech capital, is next year set to inaugurate a long-awaited organ that befits its Gothic splendour.Located at Prague Castle in the city s UNESCO-listed historic centre, the landmark cathedral, whose construction spanned from 1344-1929, has already housed a dozen organs.But the last one, installed in 1931, proved inadequate for the acoustics of the majestic cathedral, which drew 2.6 million visitors in 2024. It was originally meant to be the largest instrument in the world, but as so often with big plans, it didn t happen, organologist Stepan Svoboda told AFP. So we have been waiting for a large organ for almost a century. The new instrument on the western wall almost seems to float over the choir, its glass decorations reflecting the light that spills into the room through a large rose window.Made in the German organ builder Gerhard Grenzing s workshop in Spain, it is currently being voiced -- a process that involves adjusting its tones to the acoustics of the room -- in time for its inauguration concert scheduled for June 15, 2026.With over 6,000 pipes ranging from several millimetres to 11 metres in size, the organ was first assembled in Spain, then dismantled and transported to Prague in trucks.Grenzing s design aims to offer a sound that is pleasant for the Czech listener , said Vojtech Matl, head of the St. Vitus Organ Foundation. He made a tour of Czech churches and studied the local organs carefully, according to Matl.Grenzing made last-minute changes to his project after discovering that the Prague cathedral s porous sandstone walls slowed down the sound.After 11 years of painstaking preparations, installation in the cathedral began in March.

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