Giant 9.8 ton bell arrives in Prague

A ship from Hamburg, loaded with a 9.8 ton bell arrived in Prague on Wednesday. The bell is a symbolic replacement for the many church bells that were melted down by the Nazis during World War II. The arrival of the ship took place exactly 80 years after the last confiscated bell transport left the then Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia heading for Hamburg, news site DeníkN.cz reports.

The bell was cast in Austria by the Grassmayr workshop upon the initiative of the group Zvon #9801. The bell’s weight, 9,801 kilograms, is equivalent to the weight of all the bells in Bohemia and Moravia that were confiscated.

A ceremonial unveiling of the bell at the Čapadlo on Smetana embankment will take place at 7pm on Sunday, August 28.