Bellcasting

During feudalism, the majority of the bell-casting workshops were located in Gemeri: in Dobšina, Rožňava, Štítnik and Vlachovo. Today we have only one bell ringer. Róbert Slíž from Rožňava was fascinated by bells even as a small boy. Visiting towers and bell towers throughout Slovakia became his passion. It wasnt until he was 15 that he decided and cast his first bell. It took three years for him to perfect the craft and cast a bell he was satisfied with. Since 2016, he has been engaged in the casting and production of their accessories. In it, he uses traditional medieval technology, which works primarily with natural materials. He casts the bells into molds prepared from a special mixture of clay and other natural ingredients. Each bell is an original work with a unique character, behind which there is always several months of work. She was also recognized at the 32nd edition of the Craft Festival in the grounds of the Budapest Castle, where she was awarded the title of Young Master of the Year. His products were also certified by experts from the Hungarian Academy of Folk Art, in a craft house in the Hungarian village of Tállya. The bells were rated the highest category. In 2019, he had the honor of working in the workshop of the well-known master bell-maker Ábel Portilla in Guyana, in Cantabria, Spain, where he had the opportunity to improve and learn many, almost forgotten, old procedures and secrets of this craft.