The Jablonec church has one of the largest concert organs in the country functioning again

Jablonec nad Nisou – Today, Litoměřice Bishop Jan Baxant blessed the organ in the completely filled church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Jablonec nad Nisou, one of the largest in the country. During the mass, it resonated for the first time after a three-year renovation that cost approximately 6.6 million crowns.

"A tremendous joy. That is the strongest feeling I have from a job well done," said Irena Kreiselová today to ČTK, founder and chairwoman of the Jablonec Organ Foundation, which has been raising funds for the restoration of this valuable instrument.

The organ, like the church, was designed by Josef Zasche, an architect from Jablonec, and was built in 1932 by the Rieger-Kloss company. The three-manual pneumatic instrument with 43 main registers is equipped with 2862 pipes ranging from a few centimeters to several meters. "All produce their own sounds, but not false ones, so they connect with each other to create harmony," said Baxant during the blessing of the instrument.

The instrument is located at the back of the choir in the western façade of the church and nearly fills the wide vault spanning eight meters. The organ was in urgent need of restoration, as the internal machinery and structural casing were heavily infested with woodworm, with parts where one could insert a finger into the wood. The valuable instrument was restored by the family company Hermann Eule Orgelbau from Bautzen, Germany. "The company that restored it did not modernize anything but preserved everything as it was built in 1932 by Rieger, which makes them unique," added Kreiselová.

The restored organ will resonate for the first time at a concert next Tuesday. The organist Přemysl Kšica will play on its three manuals and one pedalboard, accompanied by Jiří Pohnán on the trumpet.

Many donors significantly contributed to the restoration of the organ. The foundation for its rescue was established five years ago, and through the adoption of pipes from small donors, nearly two million crowns were raised, with an additional million contributed by the city of Jablonec nad Nisou and a million from Liberec Region. According to Kreiselová, it is still possible to contribute to the organ's restoration, for instance, through the adoption of pipes.