Abstract: A bottle filling machine having a lower part and an upper part rotatable relative thereto. The upper machine part includes a circular ring machine table having lift elements for the bottles to be filled, and has associated therewith filling elements connected to a liquid container, as well as a filling column having a central inflow fitting and a central rotary distributor. In the central section of the filling column is a receiving chamber for a control device, embodied as a digital computing system, for the control of the filling process; the receiving chamber is delimited by a protective cover capable of being placed in a maintenance or servicing position.