St. Peter and Paul Church in Kostelní Bříza - The History
The History
As of today, the design of the original church – probably made of wood – is unknown, yet there are historic traces of its existence dating back to 1410. It went through several adaptations in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today’s design comes from a late baroque adaptation carried out from 1802 to 1804 by Freiherr Karl Lebrecht von Spiegel. The central nave and the presbytery have been extended, a new sacristy has been built on the south, and – similarly – a new oratory has been built at the northern wall. In 1842, a belfry has been built on the west.
The German inhabitants of Kostelní Bříza (Kirchenbirk) have left after 1945 and since then, the church has not been used for its purpose. It served as a military warehouse and slowly started to decay. It had several alternating owners after 1990, this alternation ending only in 2002, when the Foundation took it over aiming to save it.
