NETHERLANDS: The biggest church bell ever cast in the Netherlands is on its way to a Japanese tourist resort

Record ID: 187055

  • Title: NETHERLANDS: The biggest church bell ever cast in the Netherlands is on its way to a Japanese tourist resort
  • Date: 21st October 2006
  • Summary: AMSTERDAM HARBOUR, OCTOBER 19, 2006 (REUTERS) VARIOUS NIGHT VIEWS OF LOADING THE BELL ONBOARD NYK APHRODYTE
  • Embargoed: 5th November 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Netherlands
  • Country: Netherlands
  • Topics: General,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVA9IP4BU69C1UYZ8Z1ULKZMUHZ5
  • Story Text: The biggest church bell ever cast in the Netherlands has been loaded onboard the NYK Aphrodyte ship on Thursday evening (October 19) to sail towards Tokyo, Japan.
    This church bell will never ring for a mass, but will ring for guests of Gotenba Kohgen tourist resort near Tokyo instead.
    The bell was ordered by Japanese businessman Kiyokazu Shoji, owner of the resort. It was designed and made by Royal churchbell makers Eijsbouts from Asten in the south of the Netherlands. Because of its size and weight (36 tons, 3,72 meters high and 3,82 meters wide) the bell had to be cast in a shipyard.
    Although it is three times heavier than the heaviest church bell ever cast in the Netherlands, it is not the biggest in the world. The giant Tsar Bell cast in 1735 on display in Moscow's Kremlin weights more than 200 tons. It cracked during a fire and never rang. Another Tsar Bell weighing 72 tons was cast in Russia recently and was blessed by Patriarch Alexy II at the Trinity St Sergius monastery, north-east of Moscow in 2004.
    The church bell is sailing to Tokyo wrapped in a waterproof cloth, since it's too big to fit in a container. The journey will last four weeks, with its expected arrival on November 16.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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