Český Krumlov belfry, in ‘the most towering of towers’, adds final bell after 100 years
The Český Krumlov castle tower is an iconic symbol of the picture-perfect southern Bohemian town, whose entire mediaeval centre is a UNESCO world heritage site. The renovated castle tower is truly a sight to behold. And this week – after over a century – its belfry is finally complete.
The Český Krumlov castle tower is an iconic symbol of the picture-perfect southern Bohemian town, whose entire mediaeval centre is a UNESCO world heritage site. The recently renovated castle tower is truly a sight to behold. And this week – after over a century – its belfry is finally complete.
The famous Czech writer Karel Čapek once called the rounded six-storied castle tower of Český Krumlov “the most towering of towers”. And indeed, it literally does tower above the Vltava River from its perch on a narrow rocky promontory.
Until this weekend, though, its belfry was missing an original bell. It still featured two from the year 1406, one weighing in at 1800 kilos, and the other at 410 kilos; a third from the year 1671, weighing in at 1400 kilos; and a fourth from 1744, weighing a mere 75 kilos.
On Sunday, at precisely 4 o’clock in the afternoon, local Český Krumlov enthusiasts – purists, keen to fully restore the belfry – achieved their dream of all five bells ringing out.
The original bell was named in honour of St. Francis of Assisi. The replica was cast by south Bohemian master bellmaker Michal Votruba, who was on hand for the ceremony.
“This Bell of St. Francis weighs 97.7 kilos, has a diameter of 52.5 centimetres, and is tuned to the f2 tone. It’s bigger than the average church bell, of course, to match the others. We cast it cleanly on the first try.
"It is hung on the original hinge, and its heart was forged according to the historical period pattern. But more importantly, in terms of sound, it was more or less an experiment because such a bell rib construction was a departure for me.
“But we went ahead with it and were pleasantly surprised by the result – that we achieved a precise tuning to other bells.”
The colourful 16th century façade of the tower – reminiscent of fish scales – got a make-over years ago, as did the murals along the interior walls of the Gothic and Renaissance structure.
Castellan Pavel Slavko says that all that remained to restore was the belfry. Its fifth bell, which dated back to the Baroque era, was melted down by soldiers in 1917.
“In Český Krumlov, more than 14 bells were requisitioned for war purposes. Four were taken from the castle, including one from the tower.
“Now, after three generations, the belfry is complete – all five bells in their full glory! No-one has had the chance to hear that in 100 years.”
