PRAGUE (AP) — Queen Maxima of the Netherlands handed over a bell made partly from Russian weapons to a church in the Czech Republic on Thursday in a sign of solidarity with Ukraine.
Known as the Bell of Freedom, it was manufactured by the Dutch Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry that used fragments of artillery shells and other weapons fired by Russia against Ukraine.
“This bell has a lot of symbolism in it and it’s a very special project for us,” the owner of the bell foundry, Joost Eijsbouts, told the Czech public radio. “To use material designed for violence and turn it into something peaceful is a good idea.”
The bell will be installed in the tower of the Church of the Holy Saviour in Prague, in place of one of the original bells that were seized by the Austro-Hungarian army and turned into weapons during World War I.
The Czech Republic and the Netherlands support Ukraine in its fight against Russian troops.
The ceremony at the church, attended by Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva, was meant to be one of the highlights of the Dutch royal couple’s stay in Prague. But King Willem-Alexander had to cut short the trip and returned home late Wednesday due to the collapse of the Dutch government.
