In Liberec, a complete reconstruction of the dilapidated Baroque chapel has begun

Liberec – In Liberec, at the church of the Finding of the Holy Cross, a complete reconstruction of the dilapidated Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher from 1722 has begun today. Together with the church and the Marian column, which is located in the same garden, it is one of the most valuable Baroque monuments in the city of one hundred thousand inhabitants. The rescue came at the last minute. Its condition was tragic, said the deputy mayor for culture Ivan Langr to journalists today.

"I am almost one hundred percent sure that it would not have survived another winter," said Langr. The city has leased the chapel from the Roman Catholic Church for 50 years for its preservation and will pay nearly two million crowns for its reconstruction. Craftspeople are expected to complete all the work by the end of November this year, depending on the weather. "We want to finish everything in three months," said Michal Felgr from the company that won the contract to reporters today.

The chapel was built as a copy of the Holy Sepulcher in Görlitz. It was last renovated in 1986, and its poor condition was exacerbated by the fact that years ago unknown thieves stole the copper sheets from the roof. Damage was caused by moisture inside and invasive trees began to grow into it. The first rescue work was carried out earlier this spring by restorer Bohumil Šolc, who secured the tower statically and covered the chapel to prevent water ingress.

According to Felgr, a comprehensive renovation of the chapel, including the roof, will be conducted and both stone and sandstone elements will be restored. "There will be a comprehensive reconstruction of both the interior and the exterior," he stated. During the renovation, they will mostly use natural materials, and the chapel will likely appear different from its current state, with a celestial blue facade instead of ochre.

"The chapel probably went through many styles, and we do not yet know to which period the preservationists will lean," he added. The chapel was commissioned by Liberec cloth merchant Andreas Joseph Wondrak according to the design of Johann Joseph Kunze. It was moved to the garden of the church of the Finding of the Holy Cross in the 19th century. It originally stood on the west side of the cemetery near the nearby archdeaconry church of St. Anthony.

The garden is part of the cross-border tourist trail Via sacra, which connects exceptional sacred monuments in Upper Lusatia, northern Bohemia, and Lower Silesia. The city plans to create an interesting historical corner for tourists in the garden. "Of course, it is necessary to build up some kind of road network and complement furnishings of all kinds. Then I think that this, perhaps somewhat forgotten, corner of Liberec will become a very attractive place, especially for foreign visitors. Because via sacra is a project that mainly attracts visitors from Germany and Poland," Langr added.