The advocacy strategy approved by Wikimedia Czech Republic at the end of 2024 opened up opportunities for partnership with two public media outlets. Czech Television and Czech Radio play a key role in making information and content accessible, so their involvement in Wikimedia projects is indispensable. In cooperation with the Czech Radio archive (Dušan Radovanovič, Tomáš Dufka), the first project was created – Vanished Bells. Czech Radio has access to and manages recordings of nearly 90 bells from across the Czech Republic that were requisitioned and melted down during World War II. These recordings, along with descriptions and information, will be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and linked to church and municipality entries on Wikipedia, based on a memorandum of understanding. This unique project is a pilot for further cooperation. The Lost Bells project will culminate on October 2, 2025, on International Bell Day. More information can be found on the Czech Radio project page.
Author: Petr1888 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons