Zprávy památkové péče 2015, 75(2):115-124

"Outstanding in coziness and grace". Czechoslovak Hussite churches in the Hradec Králové region from the 1920's and 1930's and their heritage appreciation

Ladislav Zikmund-Lender

The study presents the unique and very rich heritage fund of churches of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church in the Hradec Králové region, which likely holds the largest number of cultural monuments from this segment of architectural heritage. The architectural appearance of the churches took shape mainly during the 1920's. The first canon was the modernized ancient church and architectural decorativism, the synthesis of which is, for example, the church in Jaroměř. A creative competition in 1924 brought a shift towards ascetic and material forms of construction, the richest synthesis of which are the works of Josef Gočár in Hradec Králové and Jan Víšek in Brno. The dominant style of the interwar Hussite churches thus became purism (churches in Dvůr Králové, in Dobruška, and in Nová Paka) and functionalism (churches in Nové Město nad Metují and in Jičín). Even today, the churches still contain their unique original furnishings - door panels, benches, refectories, lighting fixtures, and even the original technical equipment such as electrical elements (switches) and heating and radiators. The surfaces themselves make up a separate chapter - original paintings, stucco, wood, and stone or refractory tiles. The interior furnishings of the Hussite churches were still supplemented during the 1950's and 60's, most of all the churches in Nová Paka and in Jičín.
At present, the owner, the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, faces a shortage of funds for historically acceptable maintenance and renewal especially for these churches, which are not cultural monuments but are still undisputed in their historical and artistic value. A starting point would be the identification of several other valuable buildings for declaration as cultural monuments and the introduction of status as monuments of local importance, as is foreseen by the substantive draft of the new heritage law. The churches are currently facing the end of the life span for their 90-70 year-old materials such as facades, plumbing components, window and door panels, and especially leaking and rising dampness which often disrupts the structural analysis of buildings. The issue of historically satisfactory care for this unforgettable segment of immovable cultural heritage should also be addressed in context with the ongoing separation between church and state.

Keywords: Czechoslovak Hussite churches, Jan Hus, Josef Gočár, Jindřich Freiwald, Oldřich Liska, Hradec Králové Region

Published: June 1, 2015  Show citation