Support

The restoration of the organ of St. Mary’s Church of Rostock is a complex and expensive matter.

Under the very realization of the project, the support from major donators and from Heritage Preservation Funds (certainly for the organ’s facade) will be necessary.

To receive such support, own financial resources are needed in advance. Those have to be gained by the Parish and the two Associations (Church Music Friends and Friends of St. Mary’s Church). Such resources are also needed for all preparation work, including several expertises and research, which normally is not funded by public authorities.

Yet the different preliminary expertises

• Restoration of the surfaces of organ, organ loft, duke’s balcony
• Laser-scan of casework and taking measurements of the inner structures
• Structural analysis
• Examination of contamination by wood preservatives

have raised costs of more than 70,000 Euro.

The church and its organ are owned by the Lutheran City Parish of Rostock (Website>). The parish ist the awarding authority of the project. But this congregation of 3,800 members administrates three gothic churches with 2,000 seats in total. The preservation of such cultural heritage is not at the core of the congregations work. Therefore there is a long and well-established tradition of cooperation with external supporters:

Regarding the church building, it is the Förderverein Stiftung St. Marien-Kirche e. V. (Website>), the Association of Friends of St. Mary’s Church. Its board has confirmed the will to support the restoration of all the surfaces of organ, organ loft and the duke’s balcony beneath.

The restoration of the technical side of the instrument will be supported by the Förderverein für Kirchenmusik in der Innenstadtgemeinde e. V., the Association of Friends of Church Music within the City Parish (Website>). This association succesfully comissioned a positive organ for the parish. Another pipe patronage campaign will be announced at proper time, among other fundraising activities.

• Major donations have been awarded by the Jahresköste der Rostocker Kaufmannschaft (a traditional fundraising event of Rostock’s Tradesmen Association) at an amount of EUR 25,000 in 2019 for the ectensive investigations preparing the organ’s restoration. Read more>
• the MeckRohr GmbH Company which donated EUR 10,000 in 2019 for the same purpose. Read more>
• In December 2020, we received a donation from the Peter Linder Foundation of EUR 20,000 on behalf of former German president Joachim Gauck, patron of our campaign,
• The Rostock Academy of Music and Performing Arts performs annual charity concerts for the restoration of St. Mary’s. This series is aranged by the Rostock chapter of the Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz, the German Heritage Trust. The income of the 2020 and 2021 concert have been adressed to the organ project. Read more>
• in 2022 we received major donations from  private persons, the Mecklenburgische Versicherung (30,000), the “Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz” (German Heritage Foundation)  and the “Deutsches Ärzte-Orchester” (German Medics Orchestra), which was a 33,000 Euro donation via a benefit concert and the doubling of the returns by the DSD, read more>), we received support from the Volksbank Mecklenburg and the Dr-Peter-Moos-Stiftung
• in march 2023 we received 25,000 Euro from EEW Special Pipe Constructions, Rostock
• in August 2023 we received 25,000 Euro from the Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband
• in August 2023 we received 25,000 Euro from the Hermann-Reemtsma-Stiftung, dedicated to the restoration of the organ’s facade ant the duke’s loft

Since 2019, funds of around 200,000 Euro have been generated!

(October  2023)