EGION R ARDUBICE P HE T PPublikace_2_cast.inddublikace_2_cast.indd 130130 224.2.114.2.11 117:127:12 The Pardubice Region borders on the Central Bohemia, Hradec Králové, Olomouc and Brno Regions. Its southern border touches the Vysočina Region and in the north, P in the area of Králíky, it borders on the Polish Voivode of the Lower Silesia. Around 520,213 inhabitants live in the area of 4,519 square kilometres. 60 percent of its territory is formed by agricultural land; industrial areas are centred around bigger towns. The regional capital of Pardubice is a seat of the region. The region is divided into 4 districts: Pardubice, Chrudim, Svitavy and Ústí nad Orlicí. The river Elbe flows through the northwestern part of the region and makes up the fertile lowlands of Polabí; in the south, there is the area of the Iron Mountains with the river Chrudimka and the Žďár Hills. Both of the mountains are protected landscape areas and they are both part of the Czech-Moravian Highlands. The Podorlická Upland starts to raise eastward where the rivers Divoká and Tichá Orlice flow. Southern part of the Orlické Mountains reaches the Pardubice Region and at the border with Poland, there is Kralický Sněžník (1,423 metres) which is the highest mountain of the Pardubice Region. There is also main European watershed between the North and the Black Sea (the river Morava springs under the massif of the Kralický Sněžník Mountain). Besides beautiful and diverse nature we can also find many interesting towns and histori- cal monuments in the Pardubice Region. Renaissance castle in Litomyšl is on the list of the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage. In the 16th century Litomyšl was an important centre of the Unity of Brethren. Composer Bedřich Smetana and painter Julius Mařák belong to the famous natives of the Pardubice Region. The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren has a large number of congregations in the Par- dubice Region; we will invite you to visit at least some of them. 130 • 131 PPublikace_2_cast.inddublikace_2_cast.indd 131131 224.2.114.2.11 117:127:12 OLIČKY P U OROVÁ B PPublikace_2_cast.inddublikace_2_cast.indd 132132 224.2.114.2.11 117:127:12 RECTORY The village of Borová lies in the north- gle month (from April till May 1783) a simple ern edge of the the Žďár Hills, 10 house of prayer without a tower was built. Its P kilometres northwest of Polička at an toleration character (after necessary repairs) altitude of around 600 metres. It spreads out is kept until now. Through the entrance which along the Černý brook. Some of the houses in is placed on the lateral side of the building Borová have well-preserved features of peas- one can enter the prayer room with a pulpit ant low houses (of so-called Polička type) where which is on the wider side and has two rows of part of the house is made of wood and another benches. The galleries, pulpit, Lord‘s table and is made of bricks. benches are decorated with simple carvings. CHURCH The wooded landscape around Borová is The organ dates back to the 19th century. The ideal for summer and winter tourism. The high- rectory building was built later and got its cur- est mountain of this area is Bethlehem hill (748 rent appearance in 1913. metres). There is also a number of interesting You may find interesting that the family of the historical monuments. former president Masaryk spent their summer St. Margaret‘s Church and a small settlement holidays in the rectory in Borová. Tereza Novák- nearby were founded by Benedictine Monks in ová placed the story of her novel “Jiří Šmatlán” 1349. At the turn of the 16th and the 17th centu- in Borová and its surroundings and Bohuslav ries a stone church with a tower which is partly Martinů, at that time 13 years old, made his wooden were built here. The Neo-Gothic St. first appearance as a violinist in the local res- Catherine‘s Church was built in the upper part taurant ”U Dostálů”. of the village at the end of the 19th century. Shortly after issuing the Toleration Patent, in the year 1783 a congregation of Reformed confession was founded in Borová and in a sin- 132 • 133 PPublikace_2_cast.inddublikace_2_cast.indd 133133 224.2.114.2.11 117:127:12 EA L OSE R • UČINA B PPublikace_2_cast.inddublikace_2_cast.indd 134134 224.2.114.2.11 117:127:12 Bučina is a small village in the Svi- front, behind the Lord’s table, and the organ tavy Upland at an altitude of 428 was built into the choir above the entrance. The P metres with a population of around house of prayer was rebuilt again later, most 200 inhabitants. The whole region was once recently in 1996. It stands in the middle of the influenced by the Unity of Brethren in nearby Protestant cemetery, which can be entered Litomyšl and the persecution during the coun- through a simple but impressive Neo-Renais- ter-Reformation period was particularly hard. sance gate. Many of the until that time secret local Prot- At the end of 2003 the Ministry of Culture estants joined the Reformed Confession after of the Czech Republic declared “the village of the declaration of the Toleration Patent. They Bučina’s toleration Protestant church with its initially met at Bureš’s farm in Bučina. They surrounding wall, entry gate and cemetery” to were trying to get back the local Roman Catho- be a protected site. lic Church of St. James the Greater which was One of many memorable spots which are allegedly Protestant in the period before the connected with a sad part of our history is CHURCH AND RECTORY IN BUČINA Battle of the White Mountain but their effort Růžový palouček (Rose Lea). We can read in old failed. chronicles that this meadow once belonged to For this reason a new congregation decided the former peasant Jan Drábek from Bučina. to build a new house of prayer in 1786 on the It is a meadow where from time immemorial, municipality land where a Protestant cemetery rose bushes grow, which cannot be found any- had been founded four years earlier. This house where else in the neighbourhood. They are of prayer was simple, small and dark and a called French roses (botanically named, Rosa rectory was built soon afterwards. Later there Gallica). It is said that at this place the Czech were further improvements; in 1831 the organ Protestants bade farewell to their native coun- was added, together with the Lord’s table ten try, which they had to leave during the era after years later and the building also got a new roof. the Battle of the White Mountain. In 1921 a The new rectory, which was built in 1866 serves monument with the names of the exiles who (after some repairs) up to the present day. left to live abroad, designed by A. Metelák was Substantial rebuilding of the original house unveiled here. At that time a ceremonial speech of prayer in Bučina took place in 1833. The was given by writer Alois Jirásek. front shield, displaying chalice and inscription In 1925 this area was turned into a park and “Let Us Praise Our Lord,” was built in the Ren- in 1989 it was declared a cultural heritage site. aissance style. The house of prayer got a new entrance door, windows and the interior was also improved. The pulpit was placed at the 134 • 135 PPublikace_2_cast.inddublikace_2_cast.indd 135135 224.2.114.2.11 117:127:12 ERMNÁ Č ORNÍ H PPublikace_2_cast.inddublikace_2_cast.indd 136136 224.2.114.2.11 117:127:12 Horní Čermná can be found in the The first house of prayer was built in 1786 eastern part of the Pardubice Region, and the rectory two years later. P to the north of Lanškroun. It is situ- In the thirties of the 19th century the ated in beautiful, wooded countryside in Podor- original toleration house of prayer was not licko region at an altitude of 421 metres. It is suitable anymore. After all the debates a typical valley village: around 1,500 people there was the only solution: to build a new live in the valley which is 7 kilometres long. house of prayer. The foundation stone was The first mention of Čermná is from the 14th laid on the 18th of July, 1836. The construc- century when it was inhabited by the German tion of a one nave Neo-Classicist house of colonists. At this time the domain belonged to prayer was led by M. Artct. At that time it the diocese in Litomyšl. In 1421 the Hussites was still required to comply with the rules conquered Litomyšl and since then the Czech of the toleration period: the building was population which professed the Hussite faith not allowed to have a tower. and later also the faith of the Unity of Brethren, A new house of prayer was opened has prevailed. In the land register of 1536 the with ceremonial worship on October 28th, records are mostly in the Czech language. The 1838. The tower was built in 1884 and bell of today‘s Roman Catholic Church has got bells were added later. All that remained Czech inscription and inscribed the year 1536. was to build a new rectory and this was The family of Kostkas of Postupice bought the completed in 1894. After the formation domain in the 15th century and they also sup- of the Evangelical Church of Czech Breth- ported the Utraquist faith. However, things ren, the congregation in Horní Čermná changed in 1620 after the Battle of the White became a member of it and shared their Mountain.