The Týn Church has three new bells starting today

Prague - The Týn Church in the Old Town Square now has three new bells that will complete the missing bell system of the famous Prague church after 66 years. The bells named Jan Nepomuk, Ludmila, and Archangel Michael were created in the workshop of the Dytrych family in Brodek near Přerov. Due to the largest of them, the stonemasons had to widen the window of the Týn tower.
    Workers first removed the remnants of the original bells and debris that had accumulated there since World War II using an approximately hundred-meter crane from the northern tower. Only after that did they proceed to lift the new bells. The smallest bell, Jan Nepomuk, weighs over 300 kilograms, the larger Ludmila is about 200 kilograms heavier, and the heaviest, Archangel Michael, weighs two and a half tons.
    The hoisting of the largest bell, Archangel Michael, was the most challenging. Its lower diameter of 1556 millimeters is actually wider than the window of the Týn tower. "The master stonemasons had to remove the window shutter and take out one stone to expand the area at the bottom of the window. The bell tower is also very close to the window, so we had to work millimeter by millimeter. In terms of assembly arrangements, it was one of the most challenging operations we've ever done," said Rostislav Bouchal from the company that installed the bells today, to ČTK.
    After hoisting, the workers will secure the bells and install the accessories. They will be operated electrically. "We hope that they will ring by Easter," Jiří Mazal, the head bell ringer of the Týn Church, told ČTK today.
    The bells were brought to Prague in December of last year, right after their consecration. They were originally supposed to ring for Christmas, but due to the Christmas markets and unfavorable weather, they could only be raised today.
    "The original bells were requisitioned in the spring of 1942 and used for war purposes," Mazal stated. The six-and-a-half-ton bell of Mary, located in the southern tower, likely survived the ravages of war due to its weight.
    In the 1990s, the first bell, Agnes, was installed in the northern tower, and starting today, the tower will have three more bells. A smaller bell is still in the sacristy turret. "Only one bell is missing to complete the system. It depends on the funds when it will be cast," Mazal added.