In Krásná near Jablonec, the reconstruction of the Kittel House has been completed

Pěnčín - In Krásná near Jablonec, after 15 years, the reconstruction of Kittel's house, nicknamed Burk, has been completed. The two-story building associated with the figure of the local healer and surgeon Eleazar Kittel will open to the public during the summer holidays. "The building is structurally completed, but we are currently still dealing with all the requirements for occupancy so that it can be in proper operation," said Jan Sedlák, who supervises the reconstruction of the house, to ČTK today.

The spacious timbered building from 1747 was purchased by the municipality of Pěnčín, under which Krásná falls, 15 years ago. At that time, the monument was in emergency condition and was threatened with collapse. The municipality invested at least one million crowns annually into its preservation. "Of course, it didn’t only evoke positive responses from residents as well as some councilors. Personally, I see it as an important investment for the future for the development of tourism," said Pěnčín mayor Ivan Matějček to ČTK. The house, where the healer known as Faust of the Jizera Mountains lived, could attract around 10,000 tourists a year, according to the mayor's estimates.

Kittel had a mortuary in the house, human skeletons, a greenhouse with rare herbs, and baths. He practiced hydrotherapy earlier than Kneipp or Priessnitz and performed eye operations. "Kittel's garden will certainly be an attraction, and the house is designed so that the northern part serves as an exhibition space, which also includes an information center. The southern part will be more experiential, meaning we want to focus a lot on workshops for children and youth," Sedlák stated. For example, there is supposed to be a pottery wheel.

Few figures are surrounded by as many myths and legends as Kittel. His healing successes were so significant that it was said in Bohemia about people who were terminally ill: "Not even Kittel can help him." Due to his extraordinary abilities and wealth, people suspected him of colluding with the devil. It is said that to save his sold soul, he also had a school, a well, a rectory, and a church built next to his house in his old age.

The restoration of Burk cost around 50 million crowns, with contributions from European funds. The municipality also received a grant for the last and most expensive phase, which mainly involved work inside the house. This phase cost about 19 million. "It was not easy to obtain the funds; previous representatives of the municipality tried and fortunately succeeded after a long struggle and negotiations three years ago," the mayor stated.

According to Sedlák, the reconstruction was successful. "We had concerns about it, but I am pleasantly surprised. And I think we all learned a lot," he noted. He referred to the creation of clay plaster as a trial by fire. "In some places, it was done five or six times," he said. They also managed to preserve the two-story black kitchen, of which there are not many left in northern Bohemia. However, the house does not look exactly as it did during Kittel's time. Some later modifications have been preserved, for example, the hardware is from the 19th century.