Publication 'Bells and bell foundry in Slovakia'
The production and use of bells is a phenomenon that is a traditional part of Slovak culture. It belongs to its historical heritage, but it is still alive and active. Slovakia is the first country in the world to recognize bell-ringing by hand as a protected element in the representative list of intangible cultural heritage. The high authentic value of the campanological heritage establishes Slovakia as an equal article of the shared European cultural space, and the new publication is its tangible proof. Juraj Spiritz’s book summarizes knowledge about historical bells and their manufacturers from the 7th to the 21st century. The author documented thousands of bells in historical sacral and secular objects. He supplemented the chapters on the production and cultural significance of bells with an encyclopedic catalog of 306 biographical entries of bell makers and bell makers operating in Slovakia. The content is richly illustrated with photographs of bells, belfries, towers, bellmakers and period documents. The erudition of the author is a guarantee of highly qualified scientific knowledge, which fundamentally changes our view of bells as part of Slovakia’s monument fund. The activities associated with the presentation of the book aim to draw the public’s attention to bells, their use, ringing by hand, to arouse interest in the historical and cultural value of bells and their preservation. We believe that only a positive relationship between people and cultural heritage can be built through an accurate knowledge of historical values, and only people with this relationship can actively protect it.