Netherlands’ Queen Máxima Unveils ‘Bell of Freedom,’ Forged from Russian Shells Used Against Ukraine, in Prague
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands has officially presented the “Bell of Freedom” to the Church of the Most Holy Savior (Salvator) in Prague – a bell cast from Russian shells fired at Ukraine.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to Radio Prague International.
Crafted at the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry in the Netherlands, the bell was forged from shell casings collected in war-torn Ukrainian regions.
The initiative was launched by the Dutch Embassy in Prague in collaboration with the Czech association “Sanctus Castulus,” transforming instruments of destruction into a timeless call for peace and justice.
At the official handover ceremony, attended by Czech President Petr Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlová, the bell was blessed by renowned Catholic priest, philosopher, and theologian Tomáš Halík.
In his address, Halík urged the world to pray for an end to war and injustice, particularly in Ukraine, stating, “The time has come to turn weapons of war into bells of peace.”
The bell’s body is adorned with dozens of small crosses representing the lives lost to Russian aggression. It also contains a core forged from the remnants of an S-300 missile, that once struck Ukrainian soil. The missile fragment was embedded in the steel clapper, produced at a metallurgical plant in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
“This bell is a message to all who suffer, to all who are wounded or persecuted,” Halík said. “It will outlast us all, speaking for generations to come. It is a voice of solidarity echoing from the heart of Prague to the world.”
Currently housed in the church’s presbytery, the bell is set to be installed in the bell tower later this autumn.
As The Gaze reported earlier, before the start of the Ramstein Format meeting in Brussels on 4 June, the Netherlands’ Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced that the country will provide Ukraine with a large package of military aid in the field of maritime security, including ships, boats and maritime drones, worth a total of €400 million.