The Olympic Bell was commissioned for the 2012 London Olympic Games and is the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world. Despite being designed and made in England (by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry), it was subcontracted to Royal Eijsbouts of the Netherlands to be cast due to its large size. Weighing 23 tons, it is made of bronze and has a diameter of 3.34 meters and a height of 2 meters. It was installed and tested in the London Stadium at midnight on 1 June 2012.
The bell is inscribed with 'London 2012' and a quotation from The Tempest. It is the second heaviest in Europe after Petersglocke in Cologne Cathedral. After the ceremony, the bell was moved to make way for the Olympic cauldron and was stored in the Olympic Park. It was returned and reinstalled on a supporting structure just outside the Olympic Stadium in May 2016. The bell is currently not rung due to concerns that it may disturb nearby residents.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.