Church of Saint Friderik of Hallum, Wooden church in Bílá, Czech Republic.
The Church of Saint Friderik of Hallum in Bílá is built entirely from wood, from its foundations to the bell tower and roof structure. The building displays a straightforward design with wooden walls, supports, and interior frames that show the construction methods of the period.
The church was built in 1873–1875 on the order of Olomouc archbishop Friedrich Egon von Fürstenberg, to plans by Antonín Kybasta, so that the faithful of Bílá no longer had to walk to Ostravice. It was consecrated on 3 October 1875. In 1910–1911, when a parish was established, a tower, sacristy and new choir were added to the design of Alfred Parma of Frenštát.
The church is dedicated to Saint Frederick, after Cardinal Friedrich Egon von Fürstenberg, the Olomouc archbishop who funded it. Its Nordic-inspired form, requested by the founder, follows wooden Scandinavian churches. Czech composer Rafael Kubelík was married here.
The church stands in Bílá, in the Frýdek-Místek district, and is reached by local roads through the village. The nave is not oriented east; its rectangular plan runs north to south, so the main entrance and tower face differently than in most churches. The building was raised on a stone base in 1910–1911, and the wooden stairs to the choir were added in the same rebuilding.
It is the only church of the stave-church (stavkirche) type originally built in Central Europe, modelled on a Scandinavian wooden church shown at the Vienna World's Fair. Czech composer and conductor Rafael Kubelík was married here.
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