Balázs Árpád - Mihály János (szerk.): Harangok a székelytámadt várban. Harangkiállítás Lázár Imre gyűjteményéből (Székelyudvarhely, 2017)

INTRODUCTION

Since the Middle Ages until almost the present there were bell foundries in many Transylvanian cities (Bistriţa, Braşov, Sibiu, Sighişoara). Odorheiu Secuiesc was not one of them. The fact that today the Szekler „parent town” is considered to be an important place for bell casting mainly can be related to Imre Lázár’s (Selwerk KFT.) activities as a bellfounder. However bell casting is just a small part of the activities of the company dealing with non-ferrous metal founding and metal cutting, since 2000 until today more than 200 bells have been founded in the workshop. Among other things here was made the likeness of the oldest bell in Hungary for the National Historical Heritage Park in Ópusztaszer and also a big bell of 1730 kg for Békés city in Hungary according to the order of the local council. Today in Hungary there are more than 20 bells made of the company and even more in the Carpathian Basin. The most bells can be found here in Szeklerland. Many bells are in the Moldavian Csángó villages as well. Here was founded the largest bell (2200 kg) in Szeklerland, for Ditrău.

Imre Lázár not only casts the bells, but he also collects them. Due to his passion many cracked bells had been saved from melting and his collection consists of more than 20 bells, 13-14 of them weigh more than 100 kg. The owner gave 14 bells of the collection to the Local Council of Odorheiu Secuiesc and to the „Haáz Rezső” Museum maintained by this council, so the bells that until the present had been kept in a warehouse, can now be seen by the visitors (11 bells are placed on the Bánffy bastion on the south-western part of the Szekler-Attacked Fortress, 3 bells can be seen in the courtyard of the Town Hall).