The bells on Jana Pawła Street in Bolesławiec are located in the middle of a housing estate, on a low belfry a few metres above the ground. They rang three, sometimes four times a day (at 6:30, 12:00 and 17:30). There were also isolated strikes in the middle of the night. According to the regulations, bells may ring only before “events connected with religious worship” (this is the wording used in the act). There is no religious service at 12:00, yet the bells were still being activated.
The procedure to determine whether the bells by the church were too loud lasted more than a year. Initially, the examination was to be carried out by the Jelenia Góra branch of the Voivodeship Inspectorate for Environmental Protection. However, the office prolonged the matter until the regulations changed, and the district governor had to take responsibility for measuring the noise level. As soon as Bolesławiec officials received the case, they discontinued it. Among other things, they referred to constitutional provisions concerning freedom of conscience and religion.
The person who reported the noise appealed against the decision of the Bolesławiec officials and referred the matter to the special court for local governments, the Local Government Appeals Board. The board ruled in favour of the complainant and ordered the district governor to address the case and carry out measurements. The sound of the bells was measured at the end of June this year. An accredited company conducted the examination using professional equipment. It turned out that the noise standards measured several dozen metres from the belfry and several dozen metres from a residential building were exceeded by as much as 10.9 dB (the measured value was 65.9 dB, while the permissible level is 55 dB). For comparison, a vacuum cleaner operates at 60 dB, while the interior of a noisy restaurant measures 70 dB.
The district governor issued a decision setting the permissible noise level emitted by the bells at 55 dB. The Parish of Christ the King in Bolesławiec must therefore limit the bells’ negative impact on the environment by implementing measures intended to reduce noise emissions. In practice, this means switching off the bells or installing soundproof screens. The parish must also measure noise emissions while the bells are operating by 30 June 2023 and submit the results to the Bolesławiec District Governor and the Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection.
The use of the bells at 12:00 on weekdays, when there was no Mass, is a separate matter. Separate proceedings are under way in this case. The matter was referred to court with a motion to punish the parish priest, as the law does not permit bells to be used when there is no Mass.
Finally, it should be added that a year ago the complainant first wrote to the parish about the nuisance caused by the bells. The letter proposed a compromise, such as shortening the time the bells rang or using only one bell. Unfortunately, the letter went unanswered. The only option left was legal action, which after a year ended with the district governor’s decision and a court case. Today, the bells are no longer ringing; they have been switched off.