A Map of the Heaviest Bells in the World
In 1624, John Donne wrote the famous line, “never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” The line has been echoed and reproduced over the centuries, peaking with the Hemingway novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and later, the Metallica song by the same name in the 1980s.
Bells are famous across literature and entertainment, with the animated vision of Quasimodo furiously pulling the bell rope in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame or the small spring bell pulls featured in Downton Abbey.
While bells are known for their fairly classic shape, they come in different sizes and weights. In this post, we’re going to talk about some of the heaviest bells and map where in the world you’d find them.
View Heaviest Bell in the World in a full screen map
(source: Wikipedia)
Select any marker on the map to see more information about the bell, including its name (if it has one!), its precise location, and what edifice it’s contained within.
Where in the World Is the Heaviest Bell?
Russia is home to the world’s heaviest bell. The Tsar Bell (Russian: Царь–колокол; Tsar’-kolokol) is displayed on the grounds of the Kremlin in Moscow and weighs an impressive 201,924 kilograms. It was commissioned in 1733 and finished four years later in 1737.
Interestingly, this Tsar Bell is the third to carry the name. The first was cast in the 17th century and shattered after crashing to the ground during a fire. The second Tsar Bell was also cast in the 17th century, using pieces of the original that were melted down. Like the original, it was also destroyed in a fire.
The current Tsar Bell was commissioned and cast in the 18th century, once more using pieces of the previous bells. But once again, fire struck—bringing destruction with it. While the majority of the work had been completed, the bell was damaged in the fire during the finishing process. Additionally, due to its weight, it wasn’t successfully lifted out of the casting pit until 1833, when it was put on display.
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Sign Up NowWhile the Tsar Bell remains the heaviest bell in the world, you’ll find the heaviest functioning bell in the Henan province in China, weighing in at a whopping 116 metric tons. Known as the Bell of Good Luck (Chinese: 吉祥钟; pinyin: Jixiang zhong), it’s located in Foquan Temple (佛泉寺) in Pingdingshan, and is close to the Spring Temple Buddha, the world’s tallest Buddha statue.
Where Are Some of the Other Bells?
Russia dominates the list of heaviest bells, with 14 of the 26 we mapped found in that country. In second place is Myanmar, tied with Japan, with three of the heaviest bells on our list. After that, you’ll find China with two, and Germany, Romania, the United States, and Vietnam come in last place with one bell each.
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