The construction of the replica of the wooden church in Třinec-Guty will begin on May 26

Třinec-Guty - The construction of a replica of the historic wooden church in Třinec-Guty, which burned down in the summer of 2017, will begin on May 26. Construction technicians will first repair or newly build the foundations. Václav Kotásek, head of the construction department of the Diocese of Ostrava-Opava, told ČTK today.

"We will start by restoring the damaged foundations. Part of it will be newly built," Kotásek said. The foundations are the only remnants of the historic building. According to Kotásek, wooden structures should begin to be transported in early June. The carpentry company has been assembling the construction from prepared wood in Hošťálková in Wallachia since last year.

"I estimate that work on the wooden structures will start in June and will last until autumn. Then we should continue with the interior modifications," Kotásek said to ČTK earlier. He does not want to precisely estimate when the construction will be completed. He added that the first mass in the new church should take place next year.

Construction work has been delayed. It was originally scheduled to begin in 2018, but negotiations with heritage officials postponed it. Last year's deadlines were not met due to a dispute between the diocese and the firefighters, who approved the fire protection of the building only on the third attempt.

The 16th-century church burned down on the night of August 2, 2017. The fire caused damage of around 20 million crowns. The regional court in Ostrava sentenced three eighteen-year-old young men from the Ostrava and Frýdek-Místek regions to prison for 3.5 years, eight, and nine years for setting fire to the rare church. The highest sentence was given to the young man who conceived the action. The lowest sentence was imposed on the boy who set the building on fire, as he was not of legal age at the time of the act. The driver who brought everyone to the site received an eight-year sentence.

The costs for the replica construction will be 27 million crowns. The diocese has so far invested about nine million, mainly for the removal of the ruins, procurement and preparation of wood, stone, or for documentation. The costs will primarily be covered by insurance for the destroyed church and money from the public fundraiser of the city of Třinec. The wood for the shingles was donated by the Diocese of Ostrava-Opava, and the statutory city of Ostrava provided 300,000 crowns for the manufacture of bells, while the regional office contributed 200,000 crowns for the removal of the debris.