This year, around 140 places of worship will participate in the Night of Churches

Brno - In the second year of the Night of Churches, significantly more sites will participate than in last year's debut. While last year 35 churches mainly in Brno and Plzeň opened their doors to visitors, this year, 140 places of worship from eight Christian denominations have already registered for the project across almost all regions of the country. This was stated by Martina Jandlová, spokesperson for the Brno bishopric. The event spread to the Czech Republic from Austria, and this year it will take place in both countries on May 28.
     The first year attracted around 100,000 people. The majority of churches and prayer houses, a total of 19, were open late into the night in Brno. In addition to Brno, churches also opened in the southern Moravian towns of Adamov, Letonice, Mikulov, Třebíč, and Velké Pavlovice. Seven churches from Plzeň, two municipalities from South Bohemia, and one from the Central Bohemian Region also participated in the event. This year's attendance can be tracked continuously on the website www.nockostelu.cz.
    Churches are preparing a rich cultural program full of concerts and theatrical performances for the Night of Churches. In some sanctuaries, visitors will be allowed access to otherwise inaccessible places, such as organ lofts, sacristies, paradise courtyards, gardens, towers, or crypts, said Jandlová. Last year, the greatest interest in the cultural program was at the site of the demolished Church of St. Nicholas in Brno's Freedom Square. During the evening, around 20,000 people stopped by there.
    The Night of Churches spread to the Czech Republic from Austria, where it was first spontaneously organized by believers in 2005. According to Jandlová, a pan-European Night of Churches with a unified date could be established in the future, similar to the museum night.