In Bzenec in the Hodonín region, the local municipality has begun the restoration of the chapel

photo: www.starybzenec.cz

Bzenec - In Bzenec in the Hodonín region, the local council has begun the restoration of the chapel of St. Florian and St. Sebastian, which was one of the city's landmarks until the end of World War II. Now it is just a fragment. The restoration will cost 15.2 million crowns, said the mayor of the city, Pavel Čejka, to ČTK. The winner of the tender is the company MSO Kyjov.

"The winter surprised us a bit, but construction has now begun in full swing. Our aim is to complete the work by the end of the year. Given that part of the building will remain, there may be some minor changes," stated Čejka.

The city is financing the construction from its own resources and has also launched a fundraiser, which citizens are participating in. "Contributions from citizens will reduce the amount the city has to cover. In many cases, it may be a symbolic amount, but even so, we thank you today for any contribution," said Čejka.

The locals wanted to restore the chapel in the past as well. "Earlier citizens' initiatives were not responded to, even though in the 1950s two fundraising campaigns for the chapel's restoration were conducted and the money was used for other activities," stated Čejka.

The original chapel was built in the area at the Old Castle in 1703. According to the website www.starybzenec.cz, its founder was Count Erdman Pruskovský of Pruskova, who commissioned the entire construction on the site of the original Gothic castle. The chapel was built in the Baroque style. In 1915, a lightning struck the sanctuary, and the monument had to be restored. The end of World War II was then catastrophic. The retreating German troops mined and destroyed the building on April 18, 1945. The aim was to prevent its use as an observation post and at the same time as a significant landmark in the area.

The chapel, or rather its remains, is one of the city's landmarks. The castle winery Bzenec planted an experiential vineyard on the hill below the chapel last year, which features some historical varieties from the era of Austria-Hungary.