Royal Sigismund Bell - Kraków, Poland - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In 2014, Poland issued a sheetlet of two postage stamps commemorating the 650th anniversary of the inauguration of Wawel Cathedral in Kraków. The pair of stamps shows an image of the cathedral as it appeared in the 14th and 15th centuries and the massive Sigismund Bell, installed in the cathedral in 1521. Wawel Cathedral has undergone numerous changes over the years, but the Sigismund Bell still looks the same as it did in the 16th century.

The bell was cast by Hans Beham of Nuremburg and is considered to be a masterpiece of the Renaissance bell making art. Made of bronze and weighing about 13 tons, the bell is almost perfectly symmetrical. The name of Hans Beham was engraved in the bell after it was cast. Legend has it that a silver lute string was tossed into the alloy which gave the bell it’s rich sound. Also, it’s rumored that the King’s silverware was thrown in as well as his gold ring. But modern chemical analysis has revealed no gold nor silver in the bell’s composition.

The bell was originally called “magna campana regia” (Latin for ‘grand royal bell’). It has since been named after King Zygmunt I (sometimes referred to as Zygmunt the Old) who commissioned the bell in 1520. It hangs in the Zygmunt (Sigismund) Tower of Wawel Cathedral along with four other large bells. It is said that the peal of the bell can be heard over 20 miles away.

Today, the Sigismund Bell, which is considered a national treasure, is rung about 25 times a year mostly on holidays and other special occasions. And it’s still rung the old-fashioned way: manually. Twelve people are required to pull the ropes attached to the swinging wooden mechanism.

Stamp Issuing Country: Poland Date of Issue: 28-Mar-2014 Denomination: 8.30z Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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