GALLERY

The gallery presents five projects for the renovation of bell towers, carried out by the company KRN sistemi d.o.o. in cooperation with the company JMZ, design and installation, Janez Moškrič s.p. These projects show how it is possible to combine sound traditions with modern technological solutions. Each project reflects an effort to preserve cultural heritage while ensuring the modern functionality of the bells.

Our solutions are currently in use in around 700 bell towers across Slovenia, from small village churches and cemetery bells to important city and pilgrimage centres. Each project is tailored to the specific needs and challenges of each location.

KAZALO

Piran (2015/16)

THE RENOVATION OF THE BELL TOWER OF ST. GEORGE'S CHURCH IN PIRAN (2015/16)

KRN sistemi d.o.o., in cooperation with JMZ, design and installation, Janez Moškrič s.p., took on the challenging and exciting project of arranging and hanging the bells in the Church of St. George in Piran. This project brought together the rich history and modern engineering expertise of the two independent companies. The Piran parish church boasts no less than six bronze bells, four of which are installed in the main bell tower and two in smaller bell towers in the nave. This remarkable collection of bells is a veritable time capsule, spanning almost 550 years of history.

New bells from Germany

The focus of our project was on two imposing bells from 1958, cast at the renowned Petit & Edelbrock (P&E) foundry in Gescher. These bells, weighing 818 and 558 kg, with their voices in the keys of ges'-3/16 and as'-3/16, were originally intended for St. Conrad's Church in Berlin. Due to static problems in the Berlin church, they were generously donated to the parish of Piran, where they replaced two broken bells from 1921. These were cast by the Italian bell-casting company Fonderia Lapagna, and today they adorn the parish garden and testify to the rich history of the church.

Historical bells

When installing the new bells, we had to pay special attention to the existing historic bells:

The oldest bell, dating from 1477 and weighing 285 kg, sang in the key of B'-7/16 and until recently fulfilled the important function of a clock bell, telling the time every 15 minutes.
The smallest bell, dating from 1865, weighs only 28 kg, sings in the key of des'' ±0/16 and predicts quarter notes.
Two additional bells in the nave, cast in 1921 at the Fonderia Lapagna foundry, sing in the keys of es''-5/16 and g''-7/16.

Technical challenges

An initial inspection revealed that the project would require more than just the installation of new bells. The existing ironwork was in a poor state of repair, so it was completely replaced. Special attention was paid to protecting it from the aggressive coastal environment of Piran. The extremely corrosive, salt-saturated air required the highest quality materials, so all components of the new structure were made of high-quality stainless steel.

Tourist attraction

Today, visitors can admire the results of our work and this remarkable collection of bells up close, as the bell tower is open to the public. The vantage point at the top of the bell tower offers a breathtaking view of Piran and the surrounding area, further enriching the visitor experience.

This project is not just a technical achievement, but a living example of how the preservation of cultural heritage can bring together different peoples, eras and generations of master founders. It brings together German and Slovenian church history and creates a new chapter in the rich story of the bell tower of Piran. The bells, which date from the 15th century to the modern era, together create a unique symphony that will continue to echo over Piran and delight locals and tourists for many decades to come.

Kranj (2019)

COMPLETE RENOVATION OF THE BELL TOWER OF ST. KANCIJAN IN KRANJ (2019)

KRN sistemi d.o.o. together with JMZ, projektranje in montaža, Janez Moškrič s.p. had the great honour to participate in the extensive renovation of the bell tower of the Church of St. Kancijan in Kranj, one of the most impressive sacral buildings in the very centre of the city. This Gothic masterpiece has towered over the city for centuries, but until recently it had been awaiting a thorough restoration. The project presented a unique challenge to combine the rich history with modern technical solutions that would restore the bell tower to its former glory and further enhance its functionality.

Rich history of bells

The history of the bells in this church is a fascinating story that goes far back in time. The two oldest bells, which are now carefully preserved in the chancel, date back as far as the 14th and 15th centuries, but the clear history of Kranj's bells began in 1812, when new bells were purchased from the master bell-ringer Vincenz Samassa. Among them was the magnificent Great Bell, which still adorns the bell tower today and is considered one of the finest historic bells in Slovenia.

Over the centuries, the bells have undergone many changes, reflecting the turbulent history of the city and the wider region. In 1875, four new bells were purchased from Ignaz Hilzer in Vienna, a testimony to the connection between Kranj and the Empire of the time. The First World War took its toll and took most of the bells away, but the community spirit remained unshaken. In the inter-war period, parishioners showed remarkable ingenuity and turned to steel bells from the Jesenica ironworks, which represented a unique technical solution of the time.

Scope of renovation

A partial restoration in 1999 brought two new bronze bells to the bell tower of the Feniks Žalec foundry, and it was not until 2019 that the desire to completely renovate the entire bell tower was born. Our team faced the challenge of combining historical value with modern needs.

The main objective of the renovation was to tune the bells, which required meticulous and delicate work. One bell was replaced and three were fine-tuned to achieve the desired harmony. The bell was rearranged from the previous Salve Regina tonality to mol-dur + Salve Regina, creating an improved sound and adding a mournful but powerful note to the motif.

The project was soon extended to the entire interior of the bell tower. In cooperation with JMZ, design and installation company, Janez Moškrič s.p. and Pirnat, the worn-out electrical wiring was replaced, the walls were rehabilitated and the staircase to the area above the bells was completely renovated. A lookout point has been created in this area, which now offers visitors a unique view of Gorenjska, giving the project additional tourist and cultural value.

Technical trivia

A special feature of the renovation, of which we are particularly proud, is the glockenspiel, or melodic bells, which we have placed in the space above the bells. The ten bells, cast by the renowned Grassmayr foundry in Innsbruck, weigh between 16 and 55 kg. Every day, between 9:30 and 17:30, it entertains the townspeople and visitors with a variety of melodies, from church hymns to Slovenian folk songs.

Today, the bell tower of the Church of St. Kancijan in Kranj is a harmonious fusion of history and modernity. The six main bells, including the magnificent Samassa bell from 1812, with a diameter of 163 cm and a weight of 2253 kg, together with the glockenspiel, create a rich soundscape of the city. As a tribute to history and a reminder of the inter-war period, we have also preserved the steel bell of the Kranjska Industrijska družba foundry in the bell tower.

Cultural and tourist value

Visitors can now enjoy a tour of the restored bell tower, admire the historic bells and climb up to the lookout point, where you can enjoy a magnificent view of almost the whole of Gorenjska. This project is not only a technical achievement, but also a valuable contribution to the preservation of the cultural heritage of Kranj and wider Slovenia.

The project to renovate the bell tower of St. Kancijan combines centuries of craftsmanship tradition with state-of-the-art renovation techniques, creating a bridge between the past and the future that will inspire generations to come. With every strike of the bell and every melody of the glockenspiel, the St. Kancian Bell Tower now tells the centuries-old story of Kranj, while heralding a new chapter in the life of this historic city.

Vnanje Gorice (2022)

3) COMPLETE RENOVATION OF THE BELL TOWER OF THE TRINITY CHURCH IN VNANJE GORICE (2022)

Our company had the honour to cooperate with JMZ, design and installation, Janez Moškrič s.p., in the extensive renovation of the bell tower of the Holy Trinity church in Vnanje Gorice. The project represented a unique opportunity to thoroughly renovate the bell tower and improve the soundscape of this picturesque place on the edge of the Ljubljana Marshes. The challenge was how to combine a rich history with modern technical solutions to create a harmonious whole that will serve the community for many decades to come.

Rich history of bells

The history of the bells in this church is varied and reflects the turbulent times through which the community has passed. Before the First World War, four bronze bells hung in the bell tower, one of which bore the inscription "Antonii Samassa Labaci 1835", a testimony to the rich tradition of Slovenian foundry. Unfortunately, we have no precise information about the other bells of this period.

After the First World War, when many churches were left without bells, new iron bells were bought in 1924 in Vnanje Gorice, cast by the Kranjska industrijska družba (KID) in Jesenice. These bells, despite their historical value, had their shortcomings. The parish chronicle specifically mentions that the small bell was so poorly cast that it was usually not used at all.

In 1992, in an effort to improve the sound quality, a new bronze bell weighing 244 kg was purchased from the Ferralit foundry in Žalec. This bell was the first step towards a gradual restoration of the bell tower, which was only fully realised with our project.

Scope of renovation

In May 2021, the offer of the renowned Grassmayr foundry in Innsbruck, Austria, was finally confirmed. The bells were cast on 20 May 2022 and their consecration and raising took place on 25 September 2022.

Novi komplet zvonov obsega štiri zvonove:

Veliki zvon: 1571 kg, premer 135 cm, ton d' +5/16
Srednje-veliki zvon: 770 kg, premer 107 cm, ton fis' +3/16
Srednje-mali zvon: 450 kg, premer 90 cm, ton a' +5/16
Mali zvon: 325 kg, premer 80 cm, ton h' +3/16

Novi zvonovi tvorijo harmonično celoto v lestvici Salve Regina na d', kar predstavlja sicer standardno in precej razširjeno, a prijetno in veselo melodijo cerkvenih zvonov.

Tehnične zanimivosti

Projekt ni zajemal le zamenjave zvonov, temveč celovito prenovo zvonika. Avgusta 2022 so bile postavljene nove stopnice v zvoniku in nova ograja na koru. Notranjost zvonika je bila na novo prepleskana, za zvonove pa so bili izdelani novi jarmi in kovani kemblji.

Posebna pozornost je bila namenjena ureditvi zvonov. Upočasnjeni so bili na 47 udarcev na minuto, kar jih naredi idealne za pritrkovanje. Ta tehnična rešitev omogoča bogato zvočno izkušnjo, hkrati pa ohranja tradicijo ročnega pritrkovanja, ki je zelo pomembna za slovensko zvonarsko kulturno dediščino.

V spodnji etaži zvonika je bil urejen muzej starih artiklov, povezanih s staro elektrifikacijo zvonov. Ta edinstvena zbirka ne le ohranja zgodovino, ampak tudi izobražuje obiskovalce o razvoju zvonarske tehnologije skozi čas.

Kulturna in zgodovinska vrednost

Projekt predstavlja pomemben prispevek k ohranjanju kulturne dediščine, saj stari zvonovi niso bili zavrženi, ampak so našli nove domove. Najmanjši bronasti zvon iz leta 1992 je bil podarjen cerkvi sv. Jurija ob Pesnici, veliki železni zvon je našel nov dom v Črenšovcih v Prekmurju, srednji železni zvon pa je bil prestavljen na Podreber. S tem se ohranja kontinuiteta zgodovine, v življenju teh zvonov pa se pišejo nova poglavja.

Turistična in krajinska vrednost

Cerkev sv. Trojice v Vnanjih Goricah stoji na čudoviti lokaciji na Gulču, od koder se odpira daljnosežen razgled na Ljubljansko barje. Obnovljen zvonik s svojimi melodičnimi zvonovi tako ni le pomembna točka za lokalno skupnost, temveč tudi zanimiva destinacija za obiskovalce, ki želijo doživeti edinstveno zlitje zvoka, zgodovine in naravnih lepot.

Prenova zvonika cerkve sv. Trojice v Vnanjih Goricah je več kot le tehnični projekt. Je zgodba o ohranjanju tradicije, izboljšanju kvalitete življenja lokalne skupnosti in ustvarjanju nove zvočne pokrajine, ki bo bogatila to območje za prihodnje generacije. Z vsakim udarcem novih zvonov se piše novo poglavje v bogati zgodovini tega kraja na robu Ljubljanskega barja, hkrati pa se ohranja vez s preteklostjo in gradi most v prihodnost.

Črenšovci (2023)

4) CELOVITA PRENOVA ZVONILA ŽUPNIJSKE CERKVE SV. KRIŽA V ČRENŠOVCIH (2023)

Naše podjetje je v sodelovanju s podjetjem JMZ, projektiranje in montaža, Janez Moškrič s.p. prevzelo zahteven projekt temeljite prenove dotrajanega zvonila v Črenšovci. Ta projekt je bil edinstvena priložnost za združitev bogate zvonarske dediščine s sodobnimi tehničnimi rešitvami, s ciljem ustvariti harmonično zvočno pokrajino, ki bo služila skupnosti še mnoga leta.

Bogata zgodovina zvonov

Pred obnovo je zvonilo v Črenšovcih predstavljalo zanimiv zgodovinski mozaik. Sestavljalo ga je pet zvonov, vsak s svojo zgodbo:

Največji zvon, izdelan v KID Jesenice leta 1924, je pel v tonu H° +6/16.
Drugi zvon, prav tako iz KID Jesenice iz istega leta, je imel ton f' ±0/16.
Tretji zvon, najstarejši med njimi, je bil ulit v livarni Öntök Sopronban leta 1897 in je pel v tonu a' +6/16.
Četrti zvon, ponovno iz KID Jesenice iz leta 1924, je imel ton des'' -2/16.
Peti zvon je bil bronast in je služil kot mali zvon.

Ta raznovrstna zbirka zvonov je odražala burno zgodovino 20. stoletja, vključno s povojnimi prizadevanji za obnovitev cerkvenih zvonov.

Obseg prenove

Projekt je vključeval celovito prenovo zvonila, pri čemer smo se soočili z izzivom, kako ohraniti zgodovinsko vrednost ob hkratnem izboljšanju zvočne kvalitete. Naš pristop je bil selektiven in je vključeval:

Združevanje zvonov: Zvonove smo združili iz različnih delov Slovenije.
Ohranitev velikega zvona: Velik zvon smo ohranili v prvotnem stanju.
Konserviranje železnih zvonov: Železne zvone smo temeljito očistili in zaščitili, ne da bi jih uglaševali.
Uglasitev bronastega zvona: Bronasti zvon smo uglasili za ustrezno harmonijo celotnega zvonila.
Nove kemblje: Vsi zvonovi so dobili nove, skrbno izdelane in uglašene kemblje.
Celovita prenova podporne konstrukcije.
Tehnične zanimivosti vključujejo temeljito čiščenje in zaščito železnih zvonov, uglasitev bronastega zvona ter novo uglašeno zvonilo v melodičnem motivu na H°, ki sledi lestvici H° - cis’ - dis’ - fis’ - gis’.

Kulturna in zgodovinska vrednost

Projekt obnove zvonila v Črenšovcih ni le tehnični dosežek, temveč tudi pomemben prispevek k ohranjanju kulturne dediščine. S tem, ko smo združili zvonove iz različnih koncev Slovenije, smo ustvarili edinstven zgodovinski mozaik, ki priča o bogati tradiciji slovenskega zvonarstva.

Ohranitev originalnih zvonov, zlasti tistih iz jeseniške železarne, predstavlja dragocen spomenik industrijski dediščini Slovenije. Hkrati pa uglasitev in prenova celotnega zvonila zagotavlja, da bo ta dediščina živela naprej in služila skupnosti na nov, harmoničen način.

Turistična in krajinska vrednost

Obnova zvonila v Črenšovcih ni bila le tehničen poseg, temveč projekt, ki ohranja pomemben del kulturne dediščine. Zvonovi iz različnih obdobij in krajev tvorijo edinstven zvočni nabor, ki dopolnjuje zvočno podobo Prekmurja in odraža raznolikost slovenske zvonarske tradicije. Obnovljeno zvonilo je postalo pomemben del življenja lokalne skupnosti ter pritegne tudi obiskovalce, ki jih zanima zgodovina zvonov in cerkvene glasbe.

Slovenske Konjice (2024)

5) PRENOVA ZVONILA FARNE CERKVE SV. JURIJA V SLOVENSKIH KONJICAH (2024)

Zvonik župnijske cerkve v Slovenskih Konjicah je že od nekdaj slovel po svojih mogočnih zvonovih. Njegova slava je doživela prelomnico med drugo svetovno vojno, ko je nemška vojska za vojne potrebe odvzela vse zvonove razen enega. Čeprav sta bila leta 1984 nameščena dva nova zvonova, je do resnične spremembe prišlo šele leta 2023. Takrat se je tamkajšnji nadžupnik odločil za temeljito prenovo z namenom, da bi zvoniku povrnil nekdanjo veličastnost in mogočnost zvonila.

Bogata zgodovina zvonov

Pred obnovo je zvonik krasil primarni zvon iz livarne Schneider, skupaj z dvema zvonovoma iz livarne Grassmayr iz osemdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja. Ti trije zvonovi so tvorili malce slabše uglašen motiv Te Deum, kar je bil eden od razlogov za potrebo po obnovi. Poleg zvočne problematike je bil zvonik v zelo slabem stanju - tako dotrajanem, da vanj ni bilo mogoče varno vstopiti.

Obseg prenove

Projekt obnove je bil izjemno obsežen in je vključeval tako prenovo zvonila kot tudi stopnišča in drugih ključnih elementov zvonika. Ogromno dela je bilo vloženega v čiščenje nakopičene nesnage iz zvonika, ki se je nabirala skozi desetletja. Podjetje JMZ, projektiranje in montaža, Janez Moškrič s.p. je med drugim poskrbelo za montažo novih stopnic, kar je bil ključni korak k ponovni varni uporabi zvonika.

Pri obnovi zvonila smo ubrali restavratorski pristop, kar je pomenilo obsežno zbiranje podatkov iz različnih arhivov. Cilj je bil čim bolj avtentično obnoviti zvonilo, pri čemer je nov veliki zvon praktična kopija tistega, ki je krasil zvonik pred drugo svetovno vojno in je bil delo znamenitih mariborskih livarjev bratov Bühl. S tem smo počastili bogato tradicijo slovenskega livarstva.

Tehnične zanimivosti

Posebno pozornost smo namenili ohranjanju originalnih elementov:

Obstoječa konstrukcija je bila zaradi svoje izjemne kakovosti v celoti ohranjena, potrebna je bila le učvrstitev.
Restavrirali smo originalne jarme iz časa pred prvo svetovno vojno, ki jih je izdelal Albert Samassa.
Schneiderjev zvon iz leta 1715 je bil deležen posebne obravnave. Ohranili in restavrirali smo ga z varjenjem odlomljenih kosov in obnovo udarnega obroča, vse to pa je bilo izvedeno v livarni Grassmayr.
Manjša zvonova sta bila prav tako očiščena in tonsko popravljena, s čimer smo dosegli boljšo harmonijo celotnega zvonila.
Ohranili smo tudi okovja in vezne dele, kjer je bilo to le mogoče.

Kulturna in zgodovinska vrednost

Obnova zvonika farne cerkve v Slovenskih Konjicah je prispevala k ohranjanju kulturne dediščine in obrti, ki ima v kraju dolgo zgodovino. Kakovostno izdelani elementi zvonika so prestali preizkus časa, prenova pa je omogočila njihovo ponovno vključitev v vsakdanje delovanje cerkve. Z obnovljenimi zvonovi se nadaljuje zvočna tradicija mesta, obenem pa se ohranja spomin na generacije mojstrov, ki so jo skozi stoletja soustvarjali.