In Okrouhlá, the damaged sample of stained glass is returning to its original form

Okrouhlá - The former sample room of stained glass in Okrouhlá in the Českolipsko region, which is likely a unique building in the country, may become a tourist destination in a few years. It combines the simple structure of a former workshop with living quarters and an impressive neo-Gothic tower featuring stained glass windows. The cultural monument was threatened with destruction just a few years ago, but it is gradually being restored by its current owner, retiree Jan Sýkora. According to him, the work will take at least five more years. In the future, he would like to create a mini-museum of the former owner and manufacturer Karel Meltzer with a functioning stained glass workshop.

"The effort is to restore it to some extent to the appearance and dignity it once had. It is an absolutely extraordinary building; there is nothing in the republic or anywhere around that can be compared to it," stated Sýkora.

According to him, the building is remarkable in that it served not only for production but also as a representative residence. It was the former sample room for church windows made by the manufacturer Meltzer, whose company experienced its greatest flourishing at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. "For its time, it was a completely exceptional company. It is said to have produced several hundred works annually," Sýkora noted.

The unusual building was once just a cottage that the manufacturer gradually expanded. The sample room in the form of a church tower has been a part of it since 1893. "It functioned as a place where large stained glass windows were assembled, and it was also a showcase of what the company could do," Sýkora explained. The tower also has an unusual structure. Only the first floor is made of stone, above it is a steel frame, and onto this, ceramics are attached according to Sýkora. "There are about ten types of ceramic shapes," he added.

The building functioned as a sample room in Okrouhlá until 1907 or 1911, when it burned down, and the manufacturer moved production to the German town of Zittau. Afterward, this place served as a residence and gradually fell into disrepair. Vandals also damaged the building, and thieves stole some of the equipment. Sýkora was captivated by the former sample room 17 years ago when he spotted it while traveling by train among the trees. "I saw a strange building. There was a sign saying it was for sale. I hesitated for a moment and then bought it, but back then it didn't have the tower. The tower had a different owner," he explained. He became the owner of the dilapidated tower four years ago.

The renovation is being carried out gradually with the support of regional and cultural ministry subsidies. First, detailed documentation of the entire tower was created, and then the preserved parts of the stained glass were removed. There are five large and five small windows in the tower. "The supporting frames were also repaired and temporarily glazed. In the next phase, it was more studio work, where the individual windows are being gradually restored," Sýkora stated. This year's third phase includes cleaning and repairing the first ceramic wall of the tower. Plans for the future also include restoring the spire of the tower, which was destroyed by a fire more than 100 years ago. The tower once reached a height of 24 meters; today it is about 16 meters tall.