Bell-ringing accompanies people in sorrow and joy; it is an expression of a beautiful memory about past times when the world used to wake up with the ringing of bells, not from car alarms. Historians claim that people used to keep in their memory the specific sound of the church bell in their hometown, no matter where they went. Some associate bell ringing with school classes, while others recall Christmas chimes.

In Bulgaria there is a person collecting bells. His name is Bozhidar Zhelev and he owns 777 bells from 77 countries, as he says. His collection has already been exhibited in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, and Razgrad. On Friday it will arrive to the town of Smolyan where hosts of the exhibition will be the Europe Direct Information Center and the Nikolay Haitov Theatre. Organizers expect the bells to boost civic activity during the elections for European Parliament. In an interview for Radio Bulgaria Bozhidar Zhelev says his passion for bells started 9 years ago.

“Once I saw a couple of bells thrown in the scrap yard, waiting to be recycled. I decided it was not right and I bought the bells. That was how it all started and one by one I gathered quite a number of them,” he recalls.

The first bells of the collector turned out to be produced in Manchester in the beginning of the 20th century and they weigh 30 kilos each. Nobody knows the story of their arrival to Bulgaria. These are also the heaviest bells in the collection. The lightest ones weigh less than a gram. The bells in the collection of Bozhidar Zhelev are made of metal, porcelain, crystal, wood.

“There are about 120 bells from Bulgaria, 500 come from other European countries and there are about 40 from the U.S. I have 20 bells from Central and South America, 15 from China, 20 from Russia. I have bells from Burma, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. I used to travel a lot before and collected some of the bells personally, while others were brought by friends of mine. They know about my passion and have no troubles choosing a present for me.”

Bozhidar Zhelev says he collects not only objects but history and memories. One of his most precious items in the collection is a bell made for the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana.

“No matter whether the bell is big or small, made of metal or wood, they are symbols of movement, freedom and the power of human spirit. I like their ringing and the echo. Bell ringing makes us look forward with hope and faith,” Mr. Zhelev says.

English version: Alexander Markov