13th day - July 21st: Visit to Suchdol, a place with evangelical 'world history'

Today I had to get up at half past four in the morning, because I wanted to start cycling at 5 o'clock and there was a simple reason for that. Because temperatures up to 37 degrees were expected for this day and therefore I wanted to cover the majority of my daily distance of about 75 km by noon, at least that was my plan, and avoid cycling in the oppressive afternoon heat. The pastor of Olomouc told me that I absolutely had to stop in Suchdol during my bike ride. A small town in the Moravian region, but a place of great historical importance, also for many German Protestant Christians.

Background: Each of you knows the famous Moravian Star. The cradle of today's world-famous Moravian Church is located in Suchdol, where, in addition to the famous star, the daily texts and prayers, known as the Losungen, are published. Exactly 300 years ago, in 1722, the first Moravian brothers set out on a journey to build a new community in Herrnhut, who did not want to submit to the Catholic Counter-Reformation. In the following years, about 650 evangelical refugees left Suchdol to settle in Herrnhut. Suchdol has a museum dedicated to this origin and the later worldwide mission of the Moravian Church, and I absolutely had to visit it and take a guided tour.

I actually started cycling shortly after 5 o'clock in the morning. It was pleasant to cycle until 9 o'clock. It was still fine until 10 o'clock, but by 11 o'clock it was oppressively hot. Unfortunately, I got a little lost in Hranice and had to push the heavy bike up a hill for about 150 meters in vain. My legs became weak, the sweat poured down my whole body, and there was no shade for long stretches. I was already thinking about giving up on reaching Suchdol on this day. In Spicky on the mountain, I got some new water, rested in the shade, and then forced myself to continue cycling. It was uphill again for a while, but then mostly downhill, because Suchdol is located upstream of the Oder, but down below. Quite exhausted, I arrived in Suchdol shortly before 2 o'clock at 35 degrees in front of the museum, above the entrance door of which, of course, a Moravian Star was hanging (photo). I had reached the museum guide by phone on the way and agreed to arrive at 2 o'clock. He could speak some German and we had a cup of tea first. Then he took me through the small but fine museum of the Moravian Brethren. It is, so to speak, the original home of the Moravians, He showed me pictures of the first brothers who set out on foot to Herrnhut, which is about 450 km away, in 1722. In a display case, almost all the exiles are listed by name (photo), who had to leave their homeland under duress for their evangelical faith. The museum guide explained all the exhibits to me in great detail and showed me his old hiking boots, when he himself walked the route of his ancestors in 12 days 20 years ago (photo). In a separate room, the global mission of the Moravian Church is presented, where there are still congregations today (photo).

Today, there are about 150 Protestant Christians of the Unity of the Brethren in Suchdol and the surrounding area. Between 15 and 20 visitors come to the church service in the newly built large church. However, the town no longer has a pastor and is cared for from outside. That is why it was not possible to visit the church. The vicarage is also locked. After almost 2 hours, the museum guide had to leave me because he had to go home to his sick wife. He offered me to sleep on the floor in the museum room. Because currently a Ukrainian woman with her six children is living in the apartment on the upper floor. But he will come back around 8 o'clock to water the trees in the museum garden, whose seeds come from different places worldwide where there are Moravian communities. I rested a bit in the shade and in the evening I took a look at the mighty Protestant church of Suchdol (photo). Also the world's largest statue of Amos Comenius (photo), who was closely connected to Herrnhut and was born nearby.

Then I set up my "seven things" on the museum floor and helped water the numerous trees. In the evening, I wrote something again for this blog and then my first overnight stay in a museum began, and even in such an important one, and I thought of our star in the vicarage of Osterwohle. Exhausted from the day, I quickly fell asleep.