Classical-style bell tower
A brick bell tower dating from 1931, housing a bell by J.J. Knobloch from 1783 — the oldest surviving feature in the village.
The Classicist bell tower in Rakytovce was built in 1931 to replace the original wooden bell tower in the cemetery, which had partially collapsed that year. The bell tower is notable for its slender silhouette and simple Classical style, typical of rural ecclesiastical architecture.
The most valuable part of the belfry is the bell cast by master bell-maker Ján Juraj Knobloch in 1783 in Banská Bystrica. The bell bears the inscription ‘FUDIT ME IOANN GEORG KNOBLOCH NEOSOL’. The Knobloch family were a prominent family of bell-makers in Banská Bystrica — the bell in Rakytovce is one of the few of his works that still fulfils its original function today.
The bell tower continues to serve the local community to this day — announcing holidays, commemorating the deceased and, in the past, also fires and other emergencies. For the people of Rakytovce, it is a powerful symbol of continuity and the village’s cultural heritage.