Harangház Bell House

In the 1980s, a Hungarian artist Edit Oborzil and her husband Tibor Jeney filed a patent for the unique bell design they had been perfecting over the previous decades, which had a sound distinct from any others. 

Their bells were cast from an aluminum alloy, as opposed to the more common bronze, and contained long vertical slits along the shape of the bell, in various shapes and patterns, giving rise to a clear and harmonious chime.

The innovative bell design was first displayed at an exhibition in 1983 in Austria, and the couple went to showcase it at many international events. They even designed a special one for the World Expo which was to be held in Hungary in 1996, though was later canceled. 

Before her death in 1996, Oborzil donated her collection of nearly 50 bells to her native town of Hajdúszoboszló, and they are now on display in a beautiful open bell house in the town’s public park. The structure’s four pillars support the multicolored glass roof display and have carvings representing the four cardinal points of the compass and the four seasons. The symbolism of the paintings in and around the structure also pertain to the Tree of Life, the legend of the White Stag, and the Spirit Bird Turul, a symbol of modern Hungary.  

The bells on display, which include the Kölcsey bell and the World bell cast for the cancelled Expo, ring every hour for visitors to listen to their musical chimes.