Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
14 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
15 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
18 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
18 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Halberstadt Sankt Burchardi Church Organ

Sankt Burchardi Church Organ

Constantly maintained, this organ is playing a six-century long composition by John Cage.

Halberstadt, Germany

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The exterior of the Sankt Burchardi Abbey Church   Wikimedia
The exterior of the Sankt Burchardi Abbey Church   Wikimedia
The organ inside the church   Wikimedia
The organ’s bellows   Wikimedia
Sponsors’ plates   Vid Pogacnik / Atlas Obscura User
Sankt Burchardi Church Interior   Vid Pogacnik / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A former convent for Cistercian nuns, the 14th century Sankt Burchardi Church is home to one amazing musical instrument.

The automatic organ tucked away in the church is in the process of playing John Cage's "As Slow As Possible," a piece of music that will last for 639 years if played continuously. Started on September 5, 2001, the piece is expected to finish in the year 2640.

Cage wrote the piece back in 1985, but with no indication of how long it was meant to last. Some organists became interested in how it could connect to the lifespan of the instrument, which for an organ with its changing parts can be infinite, and the idea was put into practice in Halberstadt.  Comprised of just six pipes, the organ at Sankt Burchardi was built specifically for this piece of music, and is constantly maintained while it continues to produce notes. In fact, it wasn't even completed until 2009.

"As Slow As Possible" opened with 17 months of silence. So though it started at the Sankt Burchardi in September of 2001, the first note wasn't heard until February of 2003. Individual chords last for several months or years, with weights being shifted to different pedals when a new chord is called for in the score.

 

Related Tags

Inventions Music Long Now Locations

Community Contributors

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, nbj914, Vid Pogacnik

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • nbj914
  • Vid Pogacnik

Published

August 18, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYnEWbL6yao
  • http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1421511
  • http://blog.longnow.org/02008/10/02/as-slow-as-possible/
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/05/arts/music/05cage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
  • http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/worlds-longest-concert-will-last-639-years/2011/11/21/gIQAWrdXiN_blog.html
Sankt Burchardi Church Organ
Halberstadt, 38820
Germany
51.901362, 11.042236
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Teufelsmauer (The Devil's Wall)

Blankenburg (Harz), Germany

miles away

Quedlinburg Abbey

Quedlinburg, Germany

miles away

Hexentanzplatz (Witches' Dance Floor)

Thale, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 760
Stories 68

Nearby Places

Teufelsmauer (The Devil's Wall)

Blankenburg (Harz), Germany

miles away

Quedlinburg Abbey

Quedlinburg, Germany

miles away

Hexentanzplatz (Witches' Dance Floor)

Thale, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 760
Stories 68

Related Stories and Lists

39 Places That Will Warp Your Perspective of Time

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Atlas Obscura's Guide to the Longest Running Scientific Experiments

science

By Sarah Brumble

Curious Fact of the Week: The Slowest Song

curious fact of the week

By Allison Meier

Related Places

  • The exhibit.

    North Adams, Massachusetts

    Gunnar Schonbeck Exhibit

    More than 200 unconventional musical instruments that anyone can play.

  • “Stone of the Pregnant Woman” from a distance

    Baalbek, Lebanon

    Baalbek Trilithon

    The largest hewn stone in history.

  • South San Francisco, California

    Wind Harp

    A large instrument played by the wind.

  • Augustinian Friar’s Astrological Clock - one of the hands takes 20,000 years to revolve.

    Vienna, Austria

    Clock Museum

    A small museum filled with over 1,000 clocks, and one particular clock calibrated to run until the year 9999.

  • Medieval Clock at Salisbury Cathedral.

    Salisbury, England

    Medieval Clock

    The oldest working mechanical clock in the world.

  • London, England

    Clock of the Long Now: Prototype 1

    A clock designed to run with perfect accuracy for 10,000 years.

  • Jantar Mantar

    Jaipur, India

    Jantar Mantar

    The world's second-largest sundial, made entirely out of stone.

  • Dover, Delaware

    Johnson Victrola Museum

    Museum houses an impressive display of the origin and artistry from the now-quaint invention's history.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.