At Zelená hora in Žďár nad Sázavou, work will begin on the restoration of the church

Žďár nad Sázavou - Work on the complete restoration of the pilgrimage church of Saint John of Nepomuk will begin this year at Zelená hora in Žďár nad Sázavou, lasting approximately until 2020. The interior, exterior appearance, and the immediate surroundings of this baroque building designed by architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, will be improved. The parish has a promised European grant of around 40 million crowns for the project. This information comes from the details on the monument's website. The church will remain open to the public even during the repairs.

The parish is now preparing procurement processes for the contractors of the construction and restoration work. They plan to start the repairs after the traditional Saint John's pilgrimage held in mid-May.

Workers are to begin restoring the external plaster of the church, with further work gradually taking place inside the building. In addition to the restoration of the plaster, this will include the addition of the original plastic decorations, restoration of the floor, and furniture. The windows visible in the highest part of the church will also be replaced. The restoration is expected to finish around 2020, when, after the completion of the construction work, the grassy area between the church and the cloister, which had recently served as a cemetery, should also be adjusted.

The Roman Catholic parish has managed Zelená hora since August 2014, when it took it over from the National Heritage Institute during church restitution. The attendance at the pilgrimage site is increasing. Last year, 36,500 people visited it, which is nearly 6,000 more compared to 2015.

For the restoration of the church, the parish has promised funding from the European grant program IROP. In the same program, they will also try to obtain additional funds for the restoration of the cloister that surrounds the church. The parish has already made repairs to the first gallery in the church. Since last year, Zelená hora also has three bells again. The originals were destroyed during World War II.