Hus's Church from 1930 in Vršovice, Prague has become a cultural monument

photo: Kateřina Houšková, NPÚ

Prague – The Ministry of Culture has declared the Church of the Hussite Congregation in the Vršovice district of Prague as a cultural monument. According to the ministry, the building is a significant example of architecture from the 1920s. The decision is final, stated Petra Hrušová from the ministry's press department. The construction of the Hussite Congregation from 1930, according to officials, documents the building style of individualistic modernism inspired by functionalism with elements of constructivism. The office declared not only the building as a monument but also the land and several elements of the furnishings.

The Ministry of Culture received a proposal for the declaration of the building as a monument from the National Heritage Institute. The object of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church on Moscow Street was built according to the design of architect Karel Truksa, who promoted modern trends in architecture. The dominant feature of the building is a massive, four-sided tower nearly 26 meters high, topped with a stylized square chalice and cross. The architect Pavel Janák contributed to its design.

The building is designed as a multifunctional object, not only as a space for worship and the storage of remains. Originally, it also included a space for a public savings institution, apartments for parishioners, and a theater. This concept in a similarly religious building is unique in the 20th century. The preserved spaces of the theater represent evidence of the multifunctional use of the church building.

The building has been preserved in its authentic form with a number of artistic and craft details, such as the original metal curtain with painted period advertisements and a unique manual release mechanism, as well as the metal doors of the columbarium.

The Ministry of Culture stated that the first-republic multifunctional building of the Hussite Congregation represents an architecturally and urbanistically valuable object, remarkable for its stylistic conception, structural solution, and the extent of preservation of original elements. Therefore, it declared as a monument the mensa, that is, part of the altar, the pulpit, two sides of the church pews, a brass candlestick, and the flag of the Religious Community of the Czechoslovak Church in Prague's Vršovice.