In the entire country, the Night of Churches will take place, chapels, temples, and towers will open

Prague – Tonight and during the night, hundreds of churches, chapels, and prayer rooms across the country will open their doors to welcome visitors for the Night of Churches. This year's edition has over 1200 registered locations, and the organizers have prepared nearly 4500 programs. The relaxation of anti-epidemic measures has made this possible. Visits can currently be made individually, but with a limited number of participants, it is also possible to attend lectures or concerts. The theme of this year's Night of Churches is ecology.

The Night of Churches is also an opportunity for the wider public to learn about the cultural value of churches and to get acquainted with Christianity through music, visual arts, theater performances, discussions, or meetings. Visitors can look forward to tours of monuments that are otherwise inaccessible at unusual times, concerts, theater performances, exhibitions, and workshops. People can explore sacristies, monastery gardens, bell towers, and crypts, climb towers, or even try playing the organ.

While organizers of many cultural and social events had to cancel their second edition due to coronavirus prevention measures, the Night of Churches was successfully organized last year following the then-relaxation and again this year. Nevertheless, participants today must make sure to disinfect their hands everywhere, wear respiratory protection, maintain social distancing, and have proof of a valid negative test, confirmation of past illness, or vaccination certificate.

People can choose from a variety of events not only through the website but also via a mobile phone app. Due to the ongoing pandemic situation, the organizers did not release the traditional printed guide this year. They also partnered with one of the operators of shared city bikes, allowing for two free rides of up to 30 minutes from today at 09:00 until Saturday at 12:00.

The Night of Churches has been held in the Czech Republic since 2009, starting in Vienna four years earlier. In recent years, over half a million visitor entries have been recorded during the Night of Churches in the Czech Republic. In the pandemic-affected year of 2020, 1157 churches, chapels, and prayer rooms opened in the Czech Republic, and organizers counted over 205,000 visitor entries.