Situated just outside the town centre of Pyhäjärvi in central Finland, Vaskikello is a unique café-restaurant and tourist attraction known for the collection of bells displayed on the premises. From the old church bells that capture the attention of travelers passing by to the fragile glass and porcelain bells decorating the restaurant interior, Vaskikello houses over 2000 bells collected from all over the world.
Situated just outside the town centre of Pyhäjärvi in central Finland, Vaskikello is a unique café-restaurant and tourist attraction known for the collection of bells displayed on the premises. From the old church bells that capture the attention of travelers passing by to the fragile glass and porcelain bells decorating the restaurant interior, Vaskikello houses over 2000 bells collected from all over the world.
Story
The story of the bells began in 1973 when local third-generation shopkeeper Paavo Rönkkö bought the property from an auction and had to decide a name for the new business. Paavo thought of a fitting symbol for a restaurant; a bell to call for hungry customers. The nearby lake Vaskilampi inspired the name Vaskikello, meaning “bronze bell” in Finnish, and a single namesake bell was hung by the door. This was intended to be the only one, but it didn’t take long before the collection started to grow. Paavo, a keen world traveler, brought home bells from his trips, slowly building what is now one of the largest privatly owned bell collections in the world.
Story
The story of the bells began in 1973 when local third-generation shopkeeper Paavo Rönkkö bought the property from an auction and had to decide a name for the new business. Paavo thought of a fitting symbol for a restaurant; a bell to call for hungry customers. The nearby lake Vaskilampi inspired the name Vaskikello, meaning “bronze bell” in Finnish, and a single namesake bell was hung by the door. This was intended to be the only one, but it didn’t take long before the collection started to grow. Paavo, a keen world traveler, brought home bells from his trips, slowly building what is now one of the largest privatly owned bell collections in the world.
that capture the attention of travelers passing by to the fragile glass and porcelain bells decorating the restaurant interior, Vaskikello houses over 2000 bells collected from all over the world.
In addition to the famous bells, it is the warm atmosphere, friendly service, and above all good food that has attracted both tourists and locals to Vaskikello for the past fifty years.