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THE PRETTY church in this picture from the 1920s stands in Liptovská Štiavnica in the lower part of the Liptov region. The first written account of Štiavnica dates back to the 13th century, but archaeological research proves that people settled this area many centuries before.
More than a half of 300 church bells in Liptov were made after the First World War, reflecting the unnecessary damage inflicted on our cultural heritage during this awful conflict.
During World War II, not even this church managed to escape the eye of special troops requisitioning church bells for the military industry.
Štiavnica lost two bells made by Mathias Ulrich, dating from 1673.
By Branislav Chovan
Special to the Spectator
