Schonlau Park, named in honor of Theodore H. and Clara K. Schonlau, is the setting for New Ulm’s unique Glockenspiel. Local contributors joined donors from three foreign countries, 31 states, and 51 other Minnesota cities in matching a gift from Clara Schonlau that provided the funds to construct the first free-standing carillon tower in North America. New Ulm’s 45-foot-tall musical clock tower was dedicated on May 25, 1980, with more than 1500 people attending. Its 37 fully chromatic three-octave bronze bells, cast in Holland by Royal Eijsbouts, can be played electronically or by keyboard. Ulm, West Germany, New Ulm’s longtime sister city, paid for the second largest bell with an $8,000 contribution. The Glockenspiel’s 12 animated figures, interchangeable with a Christmas Nativity scene, depict important parts of the community’s heritage. Engineered and built by Schulmerich Carillons, Inc. of Sellersville, Pennsylvania, and constructed at a cost of $275,000, the steel structure is finished with native Minnesota brick and stone using a design developed by InterDesign, Inc. of Minneapolis. Area firms involved included American Artstone and the Heymann Construction Companies of New Ulm, and Ochs Brick and Tile of Springfield. The project was coordinated by the Glockenspiel Trust Committee, composed of Clara Schonlau, Mayor Carl L. Wyczawski, City Council President William J. Gafford, Richard B. Heymann, and William M. Schade, with Donald J. Gollnast serving as treasurer.