Church of Saint Wenceslaus, Constructivist church building in Vršovice, Czech Republic
The Church of Saint Wenceslaus is a three-nave reinforced-concrete church by Josef Gočár, built 1929–1930 on Svatopluk Čech Square. A 56-metre tower with a clock and louvered openings rises above the entrance porch, and the flat-roofed side section carries the inscription "SVATÝ VÁCLAVE, HRDIN ZÁNYHOUTÍ NÁM NÍ BUDOUCÍ". Inside, white curved walls lead to a presbytery lit by Josef Kaplický's stained-glass window of St Wenceslas on horseback.
The building was erected in the late 1920s when the previous church could no longer accommodate the expanding congregation. Architect Josef Gočár designed this new structure, incorporating reinforced concrete technology and forward-thinking principles into its construction.
The church hosts concerts alongside Masses, and since 2011 it has held the closing ceremony of the European Heritage Days, co-organised by Prague 10 and the Association of Historic Towns and Cities of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, with music by the Castle Guard and Police of the Czech Republic. In September 2015 the square in front hosted the Zažít město jinak festival.
The church sits on Svatopluk Čech Square and is easily accessible by public transportation, especially tram lines in the neighborhood. Visitors should note that access and opening hours can vary depending on religious services and events.
The tower's front wall is glazed with luxfer glass blocks, and the seven-metre cross on top is lit at night. The tower reaches 56 metres, and the church's five original bells, cast by Rudolf Perner, were requisitioned during the Second World War; two replacements by the Dytrych family were hung in 1995.
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