After visiting the Cathedral, we climbed the Sigismund Tower to see the Sigismund Bell, named after King Sigismund I, the Old. With the people in the picture, you can see how large it is:
The bell weighs nearly 11 tons and is rung only on major occasions; a recent example was the death of Pope John Paul II. Below, you can see something of the apparatus used to ring the bell:
The trip up the Sigismund Tower put me in mind of the nonsense that we inflict on ourselves in England in the name of Health and Safety. As far as I am aware, Poland is also a member of the EU but that does not prevent this tourist attraction remaining open despite the steep stairways, uneven steps and numerous other hazards.
The bell weighs nearly 11 tons and is rung only on major occasions; a recent example was the death of Pope John Paul II. Below, you can see something of the apparatus used to ring the bell:
The trip up the Sigismund Tower put me in mind of the nonsense that we inflict on ourselves in England in the name of Health and Safety. As far as I am aware, Poland is also a member of the EU but that does not prevent this tourist attraction remaining open despite the steep stairways, uneven steps and numerous other hazards.
4 comments:
wow, that is a pretty big bell!
Nearly a year ago I was in the Westerkerk in Amsterdam, and there were similarly treacherous steps that we had to climb to get up the tower.
this bell, together with wavel Cathedral all appeared in the recent film, Karol - the story of JPII...
even the vestments and Crozier given to the then, Bishop Woytyla were used in the production of the film...
wonderful blog!
I haven't seen that film yet but I am looking forward to it.
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