All Bells Rang at the Opening of Exhibition of Russian Bells in Veliki Novgorod

An exhibition of Russian bells opened in Veliki Novgorod (an ancient city in the northwest of Russia) on Friday to the chime of bells.

As RIA Novosti was told in the Novgorod state united historical-architectural and arts museum, 518 exhibits are on display at the exhibition Give Tidings from Afar by Your Chime at the Novgorod Kremlin.

Their list includes more than 400 different bells - door, railway, office desk, shepherds', gift, firemen's, fishermen's, shamans', church and coachmens' ones, mainly of the 19th-20th centuries, as well the most ancient Scythian bells made before the beginning of our era.

The Novgorod Kremlin show includes both quite small and light bells and rather heavy ones weighing 2.5 poods (one pood = 16.38 kg).

The staffers of the museum-preserve noted that most of the bells on display are fastened pending, and the visitors themselves can ring them.

Besides the bells, on display at the exhibition as ethnographic entourage are more than 100 rare objects of everyday life of the past centuries: embroidered towels, women's decorations, harness and even sledges from the funds of the Novgorod museum-preserve.

The bells were brought to the show from Russia's only Museum of Bells at Valdai.

This museum at the town of Valdai not far from Veliky Novgorod which is famed for the production of bells has one of the largest and richest collections of bells in the world.

The exhibition in Veliki Novgorod is timed to the bicentenary of the dated Valdai bells.