Prague has a new Bell #9801, reminiscent of war requisitions and can be seen on the Smetana embankment
Prague has a new bell. Memorial Bell #9801 is the voice of thousands of bells silenced in Czech and Moravian bell towers during the Second World War. It was ceremoniously unveiled to the Czech public. August 28, 2022, symbolically exactly eighty years after the 9801 requisitioned bells were taken to German war factories. The ships departed from Rohanský, where Bell #9801 should be permanently located in the future. He found a temporary location at Čapadla on Smetana’s embankment, where the public can view it until the end of September. The creation of Bell #9801 was possible thanks to the contributions of donors to the public collection. The eponymous initiative behind the project intends a long-term collection that would provide the symbolic meaning of Bell #9801 as the voice of all lost bells.
The public could see and hear Bell #9801 for the first time during the ceremonial unveiling on August 28 at Čapadla on the Smetana embankment. A priest blessed the new Prague bell Tomáš Halík. The festive unveiling included musical accompaniment and a light projection. They underlined the Zvon #9801 solution, whose form reflects the main idea of the project. The authors of the design, Kryštof Čižínský and Jakub Kamínek, connect the present and the lost in a new functional whole in relief decoration. Part of the shell is assembled from fragments of real lost bells. The inscription on the mantle says: “I speak with the voice of a thousand bells silenced by war.”
The last section between Mělník, where the ringing test was carried out, and Prague was covered by Zvon #9801 on a boat. Ship transport was chosen by the initiators of the project for its symbolic meaning. In the summer of 1942, bells removed from Czech and Moravian belfries were taken from the “Bell Cemetery” on Rohanské Island as war requisitions. There were 9,801 of them – both the name of the memorial bell and its weight of 9,801 kilograms refer to their number. A similarly large bell was last cast in Bohemia almost five years ago for the Cathedral of St. Welcome. “All the bells that disappeared from the Czech and Moravian bell towers during the Second World War will be difficult to return. The goal of the Zvon #9801 initiative was to replace thousands of silenced bells with a new strong voice. Today, we played it together for the first time on the Vltava in the presence of the people who were responsible for its birth. But our efforts do not stop here, the public collection is turning into a long-term one. I believe that other missing bells will gradually be added,” he says Ondrej Bohač, chairman of the Prague bell ringers’ association Sanctus Castulus.
The first test tone was preceded by several months of preparation. The production initiative was entrusted to the renowned Grassmayr family workshop in Innsbruck, Austria. Master bell makers cast Bell #9801 during the spring. Ten tons of molten bell metal, exceeding a temperature of 1000 °C, flowed into the mold stored in the ground. Then it was necessary to wait for gradual cooling and final cleaning and adjustments. In particular, the heart of the bell was made. None of this would be possible without the support of donors in the public collection. The target amount set at 14 million crowns has so far been met by 73%. More than 2,300 individual donors have contributed to Bell #9801 so far. Furthermore, a number of important Czech companies or their foundations, for whom the return of the voice of silenced bells is an important cultural, social and historical milestone. The Freedom Bell is also provided by the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic. “We mustn’t forget the Nazi atrocities and the horrors of war, that’s why we’re happy with this project by donating discarded pontoons to transport the bell to the heart of Prague. I thank the organizers for symbolically returning the bells stolen by the Nazis after 80 years.” she stated Jana ČernochováMinistry of Defense of the Czech Republic.
After obtaining the necessary funds for the finalization of the Bell #9801 project, the collection will continue in the long term in order to finance the restoration of other bells on Czech towers and belfries. Almost three quarters of the pre-war number are still missing. The estimated costs of their restoration are almost 2.5 billion crowns. Bell #9801 is supposed to help with their restoration in the long term. It is equipped with an electronic bell, the initial operation of which took place on the day of the unveiling. For every symbolic 980.10 crowns that donors collect by sending DMS in the form of DMS ZVON 90 to the number 87 777, the bell on Zvon #9801 will symbolically ring with one stroke. If on a transparent account 9801 1 9801 1/2010 I add up 9,801 crowns, the bell rings for the contributors with three strokes of the hammer. The symbolic ringing, which is intended to help the long-term collection restore the bell fund in the Czech Republic in the coming months and years, is limited to the period from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the day, so that the ringing does not disturb the peace of night in the immediate vicinity of Bell #9801.
Sculptor, painter, designer, jeweler and musician Michal Cimala created a graphic to introduce the bell under the name Bell #9801. The limited edition of 50 graphic sheets signed by the author is Cimal’s contribution to the initiative. Anyone who is interested in the graphic sheet and contributes 9,801 crowns or more to the public collection in the next few days will receive the Zvon graphic #9801 as a thank you.
“I see the symbolic return of Bell #9801 as the return of our historical memory and the legacy of our ancestors. Thank you to everyone who made it happen.” praised by the mayor of Prague 1 Petr Hejma. At the same time, no larger initiative can do without the support of large donors. The PPF Foundation, led by board member Jana Tomáš Sedláčková, has been such a donor to the project since the beginning. The necessary funds were also raised thanks to a significant donation from J&T Real Estate. The creation of the unique bell is also provided by Sekyra Group and Sekyra Foundation.
The Zvon #9801 initiative also thanks Karlín Group, which has recently been included among the large private gifts of the project. Bell #9801 would not have been created without the contributions of BPD Partners, Amadeus Real Estate, Conseq Investment Management, Havel & Partners, Kooperativa pojišťovna and Alza.cz.
“Bells have been a symbol of spiritual freedom, values, tradition and social community for centuries. The Bell #9801 project and the associated effort to return the bells and the values they symbolize to the Czech landscape and Czech society are – especially nowadays – very important. The PPF Foundation is therefore a proud partner of this project,” stated a member of the Board of Directors of the PPF Foundation Vladimir Mlynář.
“Supporting projects with a strong idea makes sense to us, in addition, we have been operating in the Rohanské nábřeží locality for years and have our headquarters here. We understand the bell as a symbol with a legacy of values for today’s society and for future generations.” he says Dušan Palcr, Chairman of the Board of J&T REAL ESTATE.
“For me, bell #9801 symbolizes not only the rousing voice of freedom and spiritual community, but in the neighborhood of the Invalidovna and in connection with the powerful story of the requisitioning of Czech bells by the Nazis
and a warning anti-war memento. It will be an authentic expression of the identity of the new district of Rohan City,
in which we want to combine shared public space with a feeling of home. The bell in the context of the restored Vltava island and the emerging coastal promenade will be the centerpiece of the genia loci of this space. It will be a symbol reminding us of the horrors of war and the rarity of peaceful life, which we must respect, because it is not a matter of course,” he said Ludek Sekyra, chairman of the board of Sekyra Group and one of the important donors, for the restoration of bells for the first time – two years ago he donated a bell to Český Krumlov, for example.
“Although we thought we knew the area of Karlín and Rohanský very well, the island still surprises us with new stories. We only learned about the requisition of bells during World War II thanks to the Bell #9801 initiative. The photos of the cemetery of bells in Maniny send chills down the spine. The Return of the Bell is so incredibly powerful story that has different levels. He appealed to us so much that we joined his creation without hesitation.” comments Serge Borenstein for Karlín Group.
“We at Amáde view bells as part of our history and we greatly appreciate the support for the birth of Bell #9801,” they comment Martin and Václav Klanco-owners of AMADEUS Real Estate.
“I am glad that we can be a part of this project, which I consider to be a very nicely conceived form of commemoration of historical events that we as a nation had to face in the past. The main thanks go primarily to the initiators of the project, but they also appreciate how many donors, without whom the project would not be possible, participate and provide the symbolic return of the bell to the Czech Republic.” states Hana Blovská, Managing Partner of Conseq Investment Management.
“We are very happy that we can contribute to the realization of this beautiful and unique project, which symbolically returns part of our history, tradition, culture and self-confidence to our country, our soul and not only to Czech ears. The HAVEL & PARTNERS law firm appreciates the opportunity to be one of the partners of the Zvon #9801 Initiative and the entire story, not only for its historical and appealing character, but with regard to its timelessness and the message it brings. As the largest Czech-Slovak law firm, we consider supporting similar projects to be self-evident, as our approach to tradition and justice is important.” emphasize David Neveselý, partner of the HAVEL & PARTNERS law office.
“In the future, bell #9801 will be located on Rohanský island, which is the location closest to the Kooperativa insurance company. It was therefore a matter of course that we would secure this important symbol and prepare a tailor-made insurance for the bell, for a symbolic insurance premium.” stated Milan Medek, CSR manager and executive director of the Kooperativa Foundation.
The public can see the bell at Smetanova nábřeží until the end of September, after which it will be moved to another location in Prague on the Vltava river. On September 2, his voice will open the Concert for Europe: the Czech Philharmonic on the Vltava River. The concert, which takes place on the occasion of the Czech Republic in the Council of the EU, will take place on a floating stage on the Vltava River and will be broadcast live by Czech Television.
Zvon #9801 intends to donate the initiative in the future to hl. m Prague. It counts with a symbolic location on Rohan Island. The bell tower should be part of Maniny Park. The Prague Institute of Planning and Development, together with the City Hall, is responsible for its revitalization and form. m of Prague, an international competition is currently announced. The support for the Zvonu #9801 project was expressed last year by the Prague municipality’s culture committee, and it enjoys favor from the current representatives of the metropolis. The solution will also be continued with political representation, which will emerge at the municipality from the autumn municipal elections.
2