The restoration costs 590,000 euros because these are not simple interventions, Arian van der Mark explains. “It’s so expensive because it’s all manual work for the organ builder.” The foundation has applied for a subsidy of €3.500 from the province. In Drenthe you can actually receive a maximum of 100,000 euros for this type of restoration, but the foundation hopes that the province will make an exception. The foundation hopes to raise the rest through funds and sponsors. The restoration also requires permission from the Cultural Heritage Agency.
The organ was built in 1631 and moved to Peize in 1862. It was a cast-off from the Geertruidsgasthuis in the city of Groningen, which had a new one built. This cast-off has been expanded and adapted over the centuries, including by famous organ builders such as Arp Schnitger and Albert Anthoni Hinsz. As a result, it is now a very valuable piece of musical cultural heritage.
