Hans Beham (1480–1533)

Hans Beham (born circa 1480 in Nuremberg, died 1533 in Kraków) was a German bell-founder and artillery craftsman in the service of King Sigismund I the Old.

Active in Nuremberg from around 1498, he primarily worked on casting cannons, with less frequent involvement in bell production. Likely arriving in Kraków in 1518, he created The Sigismund Bell two years later. From 1522 until his death, he served as a royal servitor, supervisor of royal gunners and the arsenal, and senior gunner.