As part of the release of emergency measures, the Library will reopen from Monday 4 May 2020.

Themunicipal library in Ratibor is located in the "old rectory" near the primary school. It was founded in 1921 and moved several times until it finally found a home in this building, which I'm sure our older generation still remembers as a school.

Although the premises are small, we try to make the service and range of books as good as possible. We are a non-professional library and our founder is theMunicipality of Ratiboř.

Dear visitors, we offer the following services

• Lending services we will provide you with an unlimited supply of reading material exactly according to your taste and mood. A wonderful thing. Convenient and practical. The year-round registration fee is less than the normal price you would pay for a single book in a bookstore. Plus, when the loan period is over, space is again freed up at home for more interesting books!
• Fiction, non-fiction, magazines- you can choose from 4,087 volumes of books. You will find both fiction and non-fiction. We regularly take magazines to the library.
• Borrowing books from exchange files
• Interlibrary loan services make sure you get whatever you need. If you haven't found it with us, we'll order it from somewhere else!
• Internet access isfree. We're here for you when you don't know what to do!
• Information services- We answer your questions

On-line catalogue

Here you will find a catalogue of the books you can find in our library.
(Click on this link to see the catalogue of the Masaryk Public Library Vsetín)

Enter the title or part of the title of the book you are looking for in the line provided, the search will result in all books with the selected entry.When you click on the selected book, a record of the book will be displayed - click on the AVAILABILITY bullet and the LOCATION box to seeif we have the book you are looking for in our library collection(and which other libraries it is available in). You can also search for a document by entering multiple criteria in thesearch box.

Exchangeable files

The library offers the possibility to borrow books from threebook exchange files, which were purchased with funds from the Zlín Region. The exchange files remain available to readers for one year at a time.

• Spring/Yellow strip(received by the library at the beginning of the year) - download the list of books hereYELLOW 2019
• Autumn / blue strip (we change in November) - download the list of books hereBLUE 2019
• winter circulation / purple strip - list of books to download herePURPLE 2020

Subscribed magazines

We regularly subscribe to Flowers, ABCand for our little ones,Sunshine magazine.

Contact

Address:
Library Ratiboř
Ratiboř u Vsetín
75 621

We look forward to seeing you on these days:
Monday 16:00-18:30
Wednesday 16:00-18:30

Librarian: Ester Miniariková
Email: library@dev.obecni.net

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Excerpt from the library rules

User registration

• Anyone can become a user of the library and its services by signing the registration form and agreeing to abide by the library rules.
• At the time of registration, the user presents his/her valid ID; children under 15 are the responsibility of their parents or legal guardians.
• The ID card, which the user receives after signing the registration form, is his/her proof of contact with the library. Its loss must be reported immediately to the library.
• The library handles the personal data of users according to Act No. 101/2000 Coll., on the protection of personal data. Any change of data must always be reported to the library.
• All financial amounts (registration fees, handling fees, service fees, penalty fees, etc.) are charged by the library as specified in the library regulations and in the amount specified in the price list. The library is entitled to refuse to provide services to a user who repeatedly violates the provisions of the library regulations, disrupts the library's operation by inappropriate behavior, or causes damage to the library that has not been paid for.

Borrowing service

• Theborrowing period in our library is 1 month. It is possible to renew the loan after the loan period has expired, unless another user requests it.
• The user can request interlibrary loan service if he/she has not found the document in the library collection.
• In case of non-compliance with the borrowing deadline, the user is subject to penalty fees ( according to the price list).
• The user is obliged to return the borrowed document in the condition in which it was borrowed. Any damage or loss must be paid for by the library.

Internet access

• The user is obliged to familiarize himself with the rules of Internet use, to follow its provisions and to follow the instructions of the librarian.
• Internet access is free of charge.
• The library is not responsible for the content of files and information found on the Internet.
• Users may not search for, view or upload materials of pornographic content, materials that promote racism, materials that are religiously or ethnically offensive, materials that incite violence or drug use, or any other materials that are in violation of the law.
• The user is obliged to pay the costs incurred by not complying with the rules set out in the Internet Operating Regulations.
• The user must respect the privacy of other users.

The full text of the Library Rules and the Internet Operating Rules will be available on request from the Library.

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Interesting links

Libraries
Masaryk Public Library Vsetín
František Bartos Regional Library Zlín
National Library of the Czech Republic
Ask a Library- questions directly for participating libraries

Interesting projects
Reading Helps- a charity event focusing on pupils' and students' knowledge of literature
The Whole Czech Republic Reads to Children- to promote reading literacy among children and young people
We Grow with Books- to promote reading
Bibliohelp- book therapy
Reading Rooms- books, reading, fun
E-library- access to electronic books
Kingdom of the Spoken Word- audiobooks - from fairy tales to classics

Pages for children
Webík- Czech Radio's website for children
Children's pages- so that children don't get bored
Čyřlístek- children's website with guides Myšpulín, Bobík, Pinďa and Fifinka
Alík- portal for children

For students
Writers- biographies of writers
Readers' diary- works of writers
Literary Den- readers' diary, reference resource, required reading and library in one, e-books

For aspiring writers
Liter- amateur literary server
Write Stories- a launch pad for aspiring writers

You might need
Timetables
POSTCODE

As part of the release of emergency measures, the Nursery will reopen on a limited basis from Monday 18 May 2020.

The Nursery underwent extensive refurbishment in 2017-2018 to meet all hygiene standards and increase capacity. New slides, swings, climbing frames and other play elements have been added to the garden...

Contact

Address:
Kindergarten Ratiboř
Ratiboř 412
75 621

Open:
Monday-Friday 6:00-16:00

Director:Zdeňka Březovjáková
+420 571 442 751 /skolka@dev.obecni.net

Head of school catering: Petra Frydrychová
+420 571 116 503 /stravovani@dev.obecni.net

As part of the release of emergency measures, the Gymnasium, the playground behind the Gymnasium and the football field are open again from Monday 5 May 2020.

For more information on the schedule and to book the gym, please call +420 603 505 096 (Michal Mrlina).
The small hall is back in operation and available.

More information on the official website of the Hošťálková Primary School including current contacts to the school management.

It gives them a sense of achievement, whether on stage or in the classroom. We motivate them to perseverance, teamwork and, most importantly, the desire to create.

Children can choose from three artistic disciplines - music, dance and literature and drama. Active creative activities combined with the individual approach of the teachers contribute to the fact that our pupils grow up to be cultured personalities, educated listeners, spectators and, last but not least, young professionals who go on to study at secondary and higher art schools. In addition to regular lessons, we organize professional workshops, seminars, camps and excursions for our pupils.

During its history, our school has reached a high artistic level and ranks among the best in the Czech Republic. Our pupils traditionally gain a lot of experience in public and private performances and festivals. In music, pupils are taught by a team of teachers and musicians with experience in many genres of music - classical, pop, rock and more. With an experienced team, we offer modern and new industries. We take an individual approach to teaching, offering modern teaching methods and techniques, striving to develop imagination and creativity, and we are mindful of the ability to interact with other musicians and to collaborate across areas of study.

Within the dance major, we offer a comprehensive education in our own sophisticated curriculum, including classical art dance and modern contemporary styles. Students are thus educated in all dance disciplines during their studies, from dance gymnastics, acrobatics, classical dance and modern dance, to contemporary dance styles - break dance, street dance. The high level of our dance branch is also reflected in the education of our teachers - each dance style is taught by a specialized expert.

The basis of the Literary and Dramatic Branch teaching is creative activities - dramatic, speech, movement, verbal, equipping students with the necessary skills for natural, cultivated expression. We strive to create acting experiences in preparation for dramatic form as well as in intensive interaction with the audience. We enrich the pupils' learning with visits to theatre performances and backstage, workshops with interesting professionals from the theatre environment, work with microphone and camera, dubbing, but most importantly acting in a joint theatre performance.

We are immensely proud of our successful ballet projects - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Nutcracker and Dance of the Rainforest and the musical project Three Brothers.

B-Art Elementary School already has several students studying at conservatories. Therefore, we hope that we will be able to continue this tradition and that the graduates will return to us in the future, perhaps even with their children. We also believe that, thanks to the care of our teachers and school management, we will continue to be one of the important music and dance centres of our town and its surroundings.

We are also the organizers of the international contemporary dance festival TANECVALMEZ.

More information:www.b-artskola.cz

Physical activity is an important part of a person's life and can do a lot of good.

We meet in the firehouse building (former Svazarm, Ratiboř 435) on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. and Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. It is also possible to rent the playroom privately or use it for a children's birthday party.

In 2019, the Czech Red Cross celebrated 100 years since its foundation, so we decided to renew the local group of the Czech Red Cross in Ratiboř, which was there before. We currently have 7 members. Our task is to spread first aid awareness, supervise at cultural events of the village or train our fellow citizens.

We cooperate with the Regional Association in Vsetín, the Regional Association in Kroměříž, the Local Group in Wallachian Meziříčí or the Local Group in Holešov. Thanks to these associations we gain new experiences and skills that we can spread further.

We try to help in other ways than just first aid. We participate in mass blood donations and now we are able to register new donors in the Bone Marrow Donor Register.

If you are interested in first aid training and demonstrations, medical supervision, or if we can help you in other ways, please don't hesitate to contact us!

Contact:

Jitka Pařenicová, DiS.
Chairperson

Tel.: +420 776 875 322, E-mail: Parenicova.jitka@seznam.cz

The Ratiboř choir was founded in 1889.

We clean wells, fill swimming pools, clear waste drains, etc.

Members of JSDH
Javořík Rostislav - Commander of the dispatch unit
Srněnský Patrik - Squad Leader
Gerža Jan - Squad Leader

Rafaj Petr - Engineer
Žabčík Zdeněk - Engineer
Čablík Libor - Machinist
(Gerža Jan - Machinist)

Host'alek Jiri
Stankova Tereza
Stancik Petr
Libor Kocůrek
Mareček Stanislav
Horníček Martin
Uhrin Kristián
Jakub Válek

Early 2017

was an exceptional winter for sports enthusiasts in Ratiboř. Temperatures dropped well below freezing and we boys, who have been regularly meeting at the local playground and playing hockey since childhood, were again drawn to the local pond in Červeny. We spent most of our winter days there in the 90s, chasing the puck furiously and trying to emulate the Vsetín hockey players in their glory days. We all remembered those days spent playing hockey together, and so we met and played again after many years. First, however, we had to clear a part of the snow-covered pond to create a large enough field. Luckily, each of us brought a shovel and added our hand to the work. Thanks to this, we were soon finished. All that was left was to shuffle the sticks to two sides and make goals out of the biggest boots. The puck drops between the sticks and we fight again like 20 years ago.

In December 2017

Stanislav Strbačka, a native of Ratiboř, had a great idea and rented us an ice rink at the Na Lapači ice rink. There we met again after a year and played as we did then on the pond, without equipment. The event was a great success, everyone had a great time. Thanks to that we started to play regularly and sometimes even several times a week.

February 2018

At this time the Na Lapači stadium was extremely busy and we were forced to move to nearby Wallachian Mezirici. There we played every Sunday, always in the morning at 6.00 am. After the end of the season and after the ice melted at the Wallachian stations, we played three more friendly matches in Kroměříž with an amateur club from Zlín. This was the first time we measured our strength with someone other than a neighbour or a childhood friend. It was a harsh return to reality and we all knew there was room for improvement. The end of the 2017/2018 season took place in Kateřinice in the local pub Na Hřišti. During the endless discussions about sporting performances, there was also talk about the uniform jerseys we wanted to present ourselves in next year.

The summer preparation started in June 2018

with two international matches in Trencin, Slovakia, with local hockey enthusiasts. We won both matches. August was marked by big changes. We agreed on cooperation with Vsetín Sports a.s. and signed a contract for a year-long lease of the ice rink. The contract provided us with the reservation of the ice, always on Sundays, from September 2018 to April 2019. During this period, we had several training sessions under the guidance of Tomáš Žabčík, a former VHK Vsetín player, who improved our skills. The end of the 2018/2019 season took place in the pub U Pilččíka, where it was clearly voted to sign up for the AHL (Amateur Hockey League) in Wallachian Meziříčí. For this occasion, a second set of jerseys with the codename AHL was produced.

The new club colors were then christened with another winning game in Trencin, which was part of the summer preparation for the 2019/2020 season. At that time we were on the ice twice a week and we also trained off the ice. We were also preparing the registration of the association and since September 2019 we are officially run as HC Ratiboř z.s. Now we are looking forward to our first league game on September 7, 2019.

For HC Ratiboř, z.s.
David Stepanek

Let's not sit at home and go out with the kids...

At the first informational meeting, we had our first 9 members, local and out of town. During the first two months we performed a shorter play, St. Nicholas, which we wrote and directed ourselves. The premiere of this play was at the local kindergarten, where the first and second grade from the elementary school came to watch. After that, there was a reprise in the Ratiboř Sokol Hall - we didn't publicize it in any way, each of the actors invited their family and a few friends. Even the mayor and his wife came to see us. The purpose of this event was to let them know at home what we were actually doing, and at the same time it was a "kind of test" for us to have the courage to perform in front of people. We also performed the play last December, also in the kindergarten and also in Valašská Polanka, which was our first trip with the theatre outside the village.

In September 2018, the line-up of the theatre changed a bit. Some members left and some joined again. And now what next... We came up with the idea early on, we chose a play by the author Petr Tomsů called Again the Dullards.

It's a political satire set in a local council environment. It suited our village, so we went for it. Within eight weeks we rehearsed the play and on November 25, 2018 we had the premiere again in the Ratiborska Sokol Hall. After that, we performed three more times in Ratiboř in the local cinema, the last performance was a benefit for Charity Vsetín. The proceeds from this event were used to purchase a waterbed. Otherwise, we play in various villages in the district, we are still rehearsing and preparing another theatre play, a comedy fairy tale for children and adults.

As soon as we can rehearse the play, we will look forward to seeing you again, dear fellow citizens, and hope to cheer you up and have fun together.

On behalf of the Ratiboř amateur actors
Andrea Žambochová

However, the ideas of reform and renewal of the Church had been permeating the area since the Hussite movement. Secret Protestants used to meet here for their services. The most prominent personality of this period was the popular evangelical preacher Jan Maniš, who preached at secret meetings. He escaped persecutors for a long time, but was eventually arrested, imprisoned in Brno and deported to Hungary for forced residence, where he died.

After the Toleration Patent was issued on 13 October 1781, almost the entire local community subscribed to the faith of their fathers. The formation of the Evangelical congregation was confirmed on 11 February 1782. The congregation subscribed to the Lutheran confession.

The people initially met in a wooden chapel. Construction of the present stone and brick church was begun in 1842 and completed in 1861. In 2011, the congregation celebrated the 150th anniversary of the church's dedication. However, the ravages of time and adverse weather conditions, especially water, have taken their toll on this building over the years. The church has undergone several repairs and reconstructions, the largest of which took place in 2015. It was financially very demanding, but with the help of the citizens, not only the members of the congregation, Jerome's Unity, other institutions and with the significant contribution of the municipality of Ratiboř, the financial debt has been successfully repaid. Although the church, the dominant feature of the village, is the property of the Evangelical congregation and serves for worship purposes, it is also used by the general public. Concerts are regularly held here, the most popular of which are the Advent concerts and the concerts of the Bells of Good News.

Life in the choir

The adult members of the congregation meet regularly for Sunday worship, while the children have Sunday School at the same time. Bible classes and confirmation exercises are held during the week. The older generation meets for prayer times. There is also a choir that sings at funerals and other events. It is also worth mentioning the participation of some girls in the unique and very successful musical ensemble Zvonky Dobré zprávy (Bells of Good News), which is based in neighbouring Kateřinice, but is led by the parish priest J. Wiera Jelinek. Sister parish priest also teaches religion at the primary school. There are regular Advent evenings, ecumenical services, a World Day of Prayer, family services, a summer children's camp, and a summer handbell camp in cooperation with our friends in Pittsburgh. In the fall, we commemorate the folk preacher John Manish with lectures, occasional contests and parades.

Parishioners in Ratiboř

• Stepan Nikolaides (January to September 1782)
• Samuel Púchovský (1782-1784)
• Jan Lány st. (1785-1824)
• Jan Lány Jr. (1824-1878)
• Bohdan Kalenda (1878-1890)
• Čeněk Dvořák (1890-1926)
• Jan Kantorek (1930-1943)
• Miroslav Janeba (1944-1979)
• Jan Široký (1980-1991)
• Miroslav Hamari (1991-2001)
• Pavla Hudcová (2003-2009)
• Jarmiła Wiera Jelinek (since 2010)

Sebeobrana Ratiboř was founded in January 2011, as an offshoot of Sebeobrana Rýmařov. The coach is Marcel Regmund, holder of 2nd Dan and self-defense instructor II.class.

What is Jiu Jitsu? Jiu Jitsu is an ancient Japanese martial art used by Japanese knights - samurai. The meaning of Jiu Jitsu is "gentle art".

There are about 60 members who have passed through the department, the permanent base is a group of about 20 members who regularly attend training sessions. They also participate in seminars and hold camps every year. The section cooperates with other Jiu Jitsu clubs and an army instructor.

We practice traditional Jiu Jitsu techniques but adapt them to defend against today's attackers and attacks. We teach self-defense to children and adults.

Self-defense training takes place in the gym on the following days:
Wednesday 15.30h - 16.30h
Friday 19.00h - 21.00h
Saturday 18.00h - 20.00h

Šestka began to write its history in 1997 in Kateřinice. 8 children came to the first meeting. Now the Six has about 50 registered members. The club has its main base in Kateřinice in the children's barrier-free centre Březiny. The Sixth has 2 troops of boy scouts and girl scouts, 2 troops of fireflies and wolf cubs (one of which is in Ratibor) and now also a troop of Benjamins.

Fireflies and Wolf Cubs in Ratibor

Due to the great interest of young children (6-11 years old), a troop of fireflies and wolf cubs was created also in Ratibor. The troop belongs to the club Šestka Kateřinice. In the last years about 20 children have been attending the meetings in Ratibor. Meetings of fireflies and wolf cubs in Ratibor are every Monday 16.00-17.30 at the old rectory.

KOSISKA
A folklore ensemble that has been established only recently. In 2014, first the children's component Kosáček was founded, not long after that the men Kosaka started to meet.

KOSÁČEK
Children aged 4 and up who sing and dance Wallachian songs and dances with the aim of preserving and reviving forgotten traditions. They perform mainly at village events and accompany their bands with "A Year in the Village".

Among the traditional events is the spring hoisting of the Marena and the associated welcoming of spring, at the end of May the children are presented at the Gulášový král and the spring march, which is organized annually by the Municipality of Ratiboř. The children perform a band with different themes. In autumn, they sing and dance for the joy of the sick and the elderly, they also took part in the Children's Wallachian Ball. At the beginning of Advent, they light the Christmas tree with a Christmas-themed band and between the holidays they go caroling together with the Kosáky guys - Šťastikovat.

Rehearsals are regularly every Wednesday, the first rehearsal this year - 25 September 2019 on the 1st floor of the fire station (former Svazarm, Ratiboř 435)

• Preschool children 16.00-16.45
• Children of school age 17.00-18.00

Contacts for the leaders of Kosáček
Lucka Žabčíková / +420 731 104 654
Barča Machálková / +420 731 104 642

KOSÁCI
A male choir dedicated to singing and presenting old Wallachian and Piács songs. It sings at municipal events, organizes and participates in public rehearsals of male choirs from the region and beyond. The choir has also participated in a tour in Poland.

We meet regularly every Monday from 8pm in the fire station building (former Svazarm, Ratiboř 435), new members welcome.

Contact to the leader of the Kosaki
Martin Žabčík / +420 737 365 745

Volleyball has been played in Ratibor since time immemorial. We learned it from the elders, so we will be happy to help other interested people to discover the beauty of six-a-side volleyball. We currently have adults and children training with us and of course we would love to see new faces. All it takes is a good mood, good spirits, exercise shoes and everything else will come by itself. We know very well that no scientist fell from the sky :-)

We started with mini volleyball in 2015 and we are still continuing today. It is the so-called volleyball in colors, which is designed primarily for 1st grade elementary school. The individual colours determine the level of progress and difficulty. Girls and boys play mini volleyball in teams of 2 to 4 players. Instruction begins with simple exercises on coordination of movements, ball handling, movement activities, attention and concentration. The children first toss and catch the ball, then gradually incorporate hitting with a pitch and finally a digger.

We have the approach that at that young age it makes no sense to overload and drill the children, we simply want to enjoy the game, we are happy when the children gain a positive attitude towards volleyball, they look forward to training and do not want to leave. Maybe they will play with us as adults. Or we with them :-)

Training in the gym

Mini volleyball (kids) Mondays 15:45 - 16:45
Volleyball Mondays 5:00 - 7:00 pm (come play)

Useful links

FB Minivolleyball Ratiboř -www.facebook.com/MiniVolejbalRatibor/
Rules of mini volleyball -http://www.minivolejbal.cz/pravidla/

Contact us

Láďa Válek+420 608 139 390
Mirča Zbranková+420 731 961 020
Stepa Janicek+420 777 621 737

Search for old photographs, documents, written records from the period of World War II.

The municipality of Ratiboř has created a working group that aims to build an educational trail called "Forgotten Fates", focusing on historical events. The first stage will be the events of World War II and the Home Resistance.

Currently, an information panel has been completed and installed at the monument to the partisan Ctibor Čermák. Another place for which we are preparing an information panel is the place of execution of the inhabitants of Vařákské Plesy. We are preparing the unveiling of the memorial plaque and the panel together with the Hošťálková Municipality on 21 September 2019.

During the preparation of the info panels we are concentrating photos, searching for new information. We have made sure that we can still get information that is now rare, and we are concerned that it will not fall into oblivion.

We would therefore like to appeal to all those who can help us to enrich our archive from the Second World War.

We will arrange for them to be photographed, scanned, whether they are photographs, written documents, newspaper clippings, decorations, certificates from partisans, etc.

If you need copies of these materials, you can send them to the following e-mail address: hasastanislav@centrum.cz

On behalf of the working group, thank you
PaedDr.et Mgr. Stanislav Haša

Primary Art School Morava

Morava Primary Art School is a young school, founded in 2003. It has three branches - music, art and literature-drama. It teaches in the villages around Zlín and in the city of Zlín. Especially in smaller villages it focuses its teaching on observing musical, craft and local cultural traditions. In the city of Zlín he wants to develop especially ensemble life focused on brass bands, dulcimer music, universal orchestras, etc. The aim is to strengthen traditional music ensembles in the villages, which have always had a great influence on the living culture here. However, the school does not neglect the care of talented pupils who can go on to study at higher art schools. In the field of art, the general curriculum of the ZUŠ aims to strengthen traditional folk craft techniques. In the future, the ZUŠ also plans to organise art and music courses and lectures for adults and third-age students (pensioners).

One of the intentions of the ZUŠ is that the teacher should commute to the pupil and not vice versa. In this way, the school wants to provide a public service where transport access to the city of Zlín is difficult. This creates a level playing field for basic arts education for children and school children. The school's management expects to work well with the municipal authorities, cultural institutions, as well as schools and parishes in its area of operation. One of the school's aims is to have pupils playing in school ensembles as early as possible and adults then enlivening the musical life of the community.

The school often presents itself by organising public performances by ensembles or individuals, as well as frequent art exhibitions. These include, for example, the Music and Bagpipe Festival in Kašava, the Wallachian Meeting in Fryšták, and concerts at the Zlín Municipal Theatre. All this is the result of focusing on the artistic practicality of its graduates under the expert guidance of experienced teachers.

The founder of the school

Libor Mikl, Vítová 52, 763 16 Fryšták
Mgr. Mgr.Jiří Severin, Kamenná 2706, 760 01 Zlín
Ing. Ivo Thurner, Tyršovo nábřeží 5183, 760 01 Zlín

Companions

Beata Severinová, Kamenná 2706, 760 01 Zlín
Martina Nosková, Benešovo nábřeží 3948, 760 01 Zlín
Jakub Severin, Kamenná 2706, 760 01 Zlín

Contact

MORAVA Elementary Art School, spol. s r.o.
Address.
Phone: 577 018 897
e-mail:info@zusmorava.cz
ID: 607 24 889
Bank account: 2900959945/2010 (FIO bank)

More information on the website
www.zusmorava.cz

History

From the Southminster Bell Ringers to the Zelowskie Dzwonki to the Good News Bells

The Southminster Ringers music ensemble was founded 50 years ago in 1969 by Thomas C. Flynn at Southminster Presbyterian Church located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon. The first team consisted of 8 young people who were interested in playing bells. Over the years, the number of bell ringers has increased. Currently the team consists of 14 high school students who rehearse 2 hours each week and give many performances in the local area. In addition to this, they serve regularly at worship services. The Southminster Handbell Ringers have a varied repertoire including classical and popular tunes, folk songs, seasonal tunes and pieces written specifically for high school handbells. The Southminster Ringers travel abroad every two years and their mission extends beyond the church. The theme of their tour is "Ringing in Christ." Their playing reaches people of many different cultures, countries and social backgrounds. They have toured the United States, Canada, and many European countries, including the Czech Republic. Mr. Richard Pinkerton is now the conductor (director) of the Southminster Ringers. He is Minister of Music and Fine Arts at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, where he is in charge of the vocal and instrumental program, handbells, tower bells, and is the organist.

Zelowskie Dzwonki - Zelowskie Dzwonki

In 1992, the Southminster Ringers came to Zelów, Poland, where they gave several concerts. Because they liked the town and the people who lived there, they decided to come again. A second visit took place in 1998. The bell ringers stayed for 4 days, gave concerts in various places and offered to help form an ensemble in Zelów. For this reason, the pastor, J. Wiera Jelinek, and her daughter Ewa went to Pittsburgh to learn to play the bells and to conduct. In 1999, 20 years ago, a new handbell ensemble was founded - Zelowskie Dzwonki, the first of its kind in Central Europe, which still thrives today, even though Mrs. Jelinek no longer lives in Zelów.

Good News Bells

In 2010, Mrs. J. Wiera Jelinek and her husband Mr. Miroslaw Jelinek moved to the Czech Republic, where they work as ministers of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in the congregations in Ratibor and Kateřinice. Because they did not want to forget their work with handbells, which was so successful in Zelów, they found enthusiastic people not only from both congregations and villages, but also from other places in the Czech Republic, raised the necessary money to buy bells and founded a society under the name of Zvonky Dobré zprávy. They also found young people who were willing to learn to play the bells. Thus was born the musical ensemble Zvonky Dobré zprávy, the only one of its kind in the Czech Republic.

The ensemble was founded on July 6, 2011 at the International Handbell Camp in Kateřinice with the help of the Southminster Ringers and Mr. Pinkerton, who brought bells from the United States and began teaching our children. After their departure, Pastor Jelinek took over the duties of leader and conductor of the ensemble. Since the beginning of the ensemble, during the 8 years of its existence, the ZDZ has had a large number of concerts and performances in various parts of our country. Among the most important concerts are those held in the Senate of the Czech Republic, the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, the Ministry of Regional Development, the Ministry of Culture, the Bethlehem Chapel and other places. They have also performed in a cave in the Moravian Karst, visited the European Parliament in Strasbourg and toured Germany, Poland, Hungary and Vienna. The last major event was the 2019 summer tour of the USA. The ensemble has been very successful. Wherever the ringers go, they bring not only beautiful music but also a spiritual word to accompany the concerts, which are given by Pastor Jelinek.

The registered association Bells of Good News

In the spring of 2011, a civic association (subsequently: registered association) was founded, which set itself the programme goals defined in its statutes. (The founding of the civic association took place on 26 March 2011, the date of the founding of the musical ensemble Zvonky Dobré zprávy is 6 July 2011.)

In the preamble, the association claims to the educational, pedagogical and spiritual legacy of Jan Amos Comenius and further defines the association's efforts to lead youth, regardless of denomination, to cooperation, mutual respect, study and the ability to realize humanitarian ideals also in an international forum. The musical ensemble of handbells has proved to be an ideal form for a completely informal education. The youth have learned to listen to each other, to synchronize their solos with others, and are learning to apply these "musical" habits in their personal performances.

ZDZ's registered society awards an annual "Messenger of Good News" prize, the first recipients being Richard Pinkerton for 2012 and the ensemble's chief conductor, J. Wiera Jelinek, for 2013. The artwork for the award was given by the renowned glass master Valér Kováč. ZDZ, z.s. also awards the "Patron of the Year of the Bells of Good News". This award was given to two municipalities, Kateřinice and Ratiboř for 2017 and Richard Pinkerton for 2018.

We are very pleased to introduce the founding members of ZDZ, z.s., they are. Mirosław Jelinek (Vice President), Mgr. J. Wiera Jelinek (Conductor 2011-2018), Mgr. Růžena Hříbková (recorder and interpreter), Mgr. Pavel Čáp (recorder), Emilie Kamasová (cashier), RNDr. Dušan Zápalka (accountant), Michaela Zelenková (designer of the emblem and reviser), Ing. Vojtěch Zubíček, Ph.D. (auditor), Mgr. Šárka Muchová, Mgr. Ewa Jelinek, Mgr. Pavel Smetana and Mgr. Jan Bistranin (members).

Address.
FIO-Bank account number: 2400874232/2010