On the summer solstice, a new modernist chapel will be unveiled near Litomyšl

Litomyšl – A new modernist chapel will be unveiled near Litomyšl during the summer solstice. The author of its design is architect Petr Hájek, and the building will be part of the city project Goals of the Paths. Most of the funding for the chapel will come from the city hall, Mayor Daniel Brýdl (Generation 89) told reporters today.

"It will be a concrete cube measuring three by three by nine meters and it will be 3D printed on site. We have allocated one million crowns for it, the costs will be higher, but the architect has secured sponsorship from some companies," Brýdl stated.

According to Hájek, the construction encodes principles from geometry, optics, and acoustics, which enhance the spiritual atmosphere of the place. During the solstice, sun rays will pass through openings in the walls, and sound elements will also be utilized.

The architect chose the location in the Černá hora forest park and the adjacent area of the Primátorské embankment for his project. The chapel will be named after Saint John of Komárom, the founder of the Piarist order, which is connected to the history of the castle hill in Litomyšl.

Petr Hájek received the Czech Architecture Award in 2024. He was recognized for his design of a concert hall, known as the crab, in the Imperial Baths building in Karlovy Vary.

Three goals of the paths have been created near the town so far. The first was an unconventional bench called The Eye over the Pond near Hluboký Pond with a view of the water surface. Two years ago, the so-called lookout made from two connected shipping containers was completed above the former racecourse on the road between Litomyšl and the village of Kornice. Since 2024, a mirror installation titled The Door has also been standing in Zdeněk Kopal Park.