House of Halubje Bell Ringer opens in Viškovo

House of Halubje Bell Ringer opens in Viškovo (Photo credit: Office of President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

ZAGREB, 3 May (Hina) – The House of the Halubje Bell Ringer, a facility and institution for the preservation and evaluation of the intangible heritage of Viškovo, namely the Halubje bell-ringing tradition, officially opened on Tuesday.

In addition to the annual carnival pageant of the Halubje bell ringers, which was inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list together with other bell-ringing groups from the Kastav area, the institution also showcases other examples of the intangible heritage of that area included on UNESCO’s list. 

This includes two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale preserved in Istria and the Croatian Littoral, the art of dry stone walling and the Mediterranean diet along the Croatian Adriatic, its coastal and island areas and parts of the hinterland.

(Photo credit: Office of President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

The foundation stone for the House of the Halubje Bell Ringer was laid in October 2021. The House features a museum with an interactive exhibition that depicts the history of bell ringers, customs, traditions and everything else related to the Halubje bell ringers. 

The author of the exhibition is ethnologist Lidija Nikočević.

The 1,500-square-metre House of the Halubje Bell Ringer is surrounded by a sculpture park with mythical creatures from local legends such as Mrak, Štriga, Fudlak, Malik, Div and Kresnik.Milanović: This is impressive achievement Croatian President Zoran Milanović visited the House and said it was an impressive achievement.

(Photo credit: Office of President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

The head of the Municipality of Viškovo, Sanja Udović, said that the opening of the House was the realisation of a vision that had started 15 years ago. This is our heritage which we must preserve and valorise, and it is important for us today, but also for the future generations, she said.

The value of the construction and furnishing of the House is €5.8 million, and part of it is co-financed by grants from the EU fund for the Rijeka Urban Agglomeration. Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and

the Ministry of Culture and Media also helped finance the project.

(Photo credit: Office of President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

The local citizens and guests present at the opening ceremony were addressed by the director of the House of the Halubaj Bell Ringer,

Dominik Damiš, the president of the Halubje bell ringers association, Damir Host, Rijeka Mayor Marko Filipović and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Zlatko Komadina, the head of the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Tomislav Petrinec, as an envoy of the prime minister and the Ministry of Culture and the Media, as well as Tomislav Klarić as an envoy of the parliament speaker.