53Freedom Foundation Freedom Bell

1950The Freedom Bell was a gift from the American people to the citizens of free Berlin in 1950. Some 16 million Americans supported the Crusade for Freedom, a nationwide initiative that not only funded the bell but also helped establish Radio Free Europe, which provided people behind the Iron Curtain with free and uncensored information.

Since 24 October 1950, the Freedom Bell has rung daily from the tower of Schöneberg Town Hall. During the Cold War, it became a powerful symbol of solidarity between West Berlin and the free world.

Axel Springer built his publishing headquarters in the same spirit—as a commitment to freedom, rooted in transatlantic partnership and guided by the conviction that the Berlin Wall would one day fall and the divided city would be reunited.To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation has commissioned a full-scale replica of the Freedom Bell for display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Following its presentation there, the bell will travel across the United States as part of a nationwide tour. The miniature version displayed here offers a preview of this landmark project.The Freedom Bell Exhibition of the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation was curated and designed by beier+wellach projekte in collaboration with sculptor Stephan Hüsch. It is presented in partnership with the Ernst Reuter Archive, the Stiftung Luftbrückendank, the Allied Museum, the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Berlin Tempelhof-Schöneberg district, and the German Postcode Lottery.