Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Most
Written sources prove that the church in Most stood sometime before 1258. However, it was destroyed by a fire that swept through the city in 1515, and two years later the construction of the current church began under the leadership of the builder Jörg of Maulborn. Plans for the construction of the church were made by Jakub Heilmann from Schweinfut.
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Interesting facts Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Most
The core of the church is the three-aisled nave, which has inwardly drawn backrests, a pentagonal presbytery and a prismatic tower at the main façade. The retracted pillars in the interior line the individual perimeter chapels and the emporium gallery, which is decorated with polychrome Renaissance reliefs. The original project was gradually changed and the result is a symbiosis of late Gothic and Renaissance solutions.
In 1964, a decision was made to liquidate the historic center of Most due to mining activities and coal mining, which was located below this location. In 1971, a government decision was issued to save the church, and several options were planned. The first of these was to leave the church in place on a pillar of a coal seam. Another variant provided for its complete disassembly. The last one, which sounded the bravest, finally won. It consisted in the overall relocation of the church.
The church building was completely reinforced with a steel structure and all elements that could be removed were dismantled from the building. The total weight of the church at this stage was 10,000 tons. A total of 53 conveyor belts from Škoda's plants were used, with a carrying capacity of 500 tons. Before the move itself, the terrain and the road that the transport was to take were also modified.
The move took place in 1975, specifically from September 30 to October 27, and the total distance was 841.1 m. Four tracks were used to move the church and it was braked from the front by hydraulic cylinders. During the journey through the bumpy terrain, the movements of the church were monitored by electronic sensors and spirit levels. The average transfer speed was 2.16 cm / min.
The relocation of the church is reported in the golden book of the Guinness World Records. For the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, a place was chosen near the former hospital with the Church of St. Ducha. The church was reopened in 1988 and restoration work was completed in 1993.
Author: Andrea Štyndlová