The Place of wishes and church bell at the turn of the 14th and 15th century
The Place of Wishes, as a memorial Tribute to Master Konrád, reminds us of the significance of the first Gothic bell-foundry workshop in the Spiš region (and also the most important in Slovakia) founded in Spišská Nová Ves by Master Konrád. It was officially unveiled and blessed at the end of 2012 on the occasion of 655th anniversary of the founding of the workshop.
The first written mention of the bell-founder is dated to 1357. His successors maintained the workshop actively until 1527. The bells from this workshop ring until today in Spišská Kapitula, Košice, Kysak, as well as in Krakow at the Main Square.
Express your most secret wishes
The memorial is an artwork of the academic sculptor Štefan Kovaľ and it depicts the imaginary portrait of the medieval bell-founder Konrád. The semi-bell of the memorial invites visitors to come inside, where they can express their wish and by symbolically ringing a bell send it to the heavens.
On the back side of the semi-bell there a historical text is inscribed O REX GLORIE VENI CVM PACE (O, King of Glory, Come in Peace). We can find this text on a number of bells from Konrád’s workshop and it expresses a desire of all of us for earthly peace and tranquility.
Touch one of the oldest bells in Slovakia
At the place of wishes you can find a medieval bell, made in Konrád′s workshop at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. The bell is a collector´s item of the East Slovak Museum in Košice. It was originally located in the tower of the parish church in Markušovce. Its height is 85 cm and the base diameter is 86 cm.
During an ascent to the church tower of the Roman-Catholic Parish Church of the Virgin Mary′s Assumption, visitors have a unique chance to admire the masterly art of the bell-foundry workshop. One can find there the so-called Šmertny bell with a diameter of 92 cm which is from 1486 and made by Ján Wagner, the last significant carver from the Konrád′s workshop.
