The Jablonec Church of Saint Anne is closed due to humidity

Jablonec nad Nisou - The Jablonec Church of St. Anne, which recently underwent a complete renovation, will be closed until January 2009. Builders have returned to it. The Christmas concerts and the exhibition of nativity scenes that took place there in previous years will have to be moved to the City Theatre this year, said its director Pavel Žur to ČTK today.
    According to him, the adjustments to the church were necessitated by high indoor humidity and cold, which prevented even the organ from being installed and mainly made it impossible to use the church in winter.
    The builders are now installing a ventilation system and underfloor heating in the historical building, which will ensure the tempering of the monument. Modified stained glass windows will also allow circulation, but the most important thing was to build a ventilation channel on the northern side of the church. "Concerts and exhibitions will return to the church no sooner than in February. By that time, we will also reinstall the repaired organ," Žur added. The repairs to the church will cost one million crowns. The city of Jablonec will pay for it from its budget, and the Liberec Region will contribute 350,000 crowns.
    Humidity problems appeared in the church right after the costly renovation was completed. The church could only be used from spring to autumn, and even then with great difficulties. Most of the adjustments will not be noticed by the church visitors. After the work is completed, the climate in the church will be monitored.
    The Church of St. Anne is the oldest architectural monument in the fifty-thousand-strong city. Its current form dates from the second half of the 17th century, but some parts are much older. The dilapidated church was transferred to the town hall in 2004 free of charge from the Roman Catholic Church, which did not have the money for its renovation. The renovation cost approximately 25 million crowns, three-quarters of which were covered by grants from European funds. Since 2006, the church has been managed by the Jablonec theatre, which organizes concerts, exhibitions, and workshops in the historical building.