10th Day - July 18th: Visiting the Moravian Brethren in Potstejn.

After a good night's sleep and a 'proper' shower, Pastor Tomas Vitec from Hradec Kralove invited me to morning tea. He strongly recommended a visit to Potstejn, a small town of 1,000 inhabitants on the highland. Today, I left the riverbed of the Elbe. My plan was to follow the river course of the Orlice - a tributary of the Elbe - upstream and cycle southeast towards Olomouc. The journey to Potstejn wasn't too strenuous, as the slopes on the nearly 50km route were mostly manageable. I arrived in the picturesque 'town' around 3 pm, and to my surprise, the pastor spoke very good German. He had been expecting me in the afternoon, as I was pre-registered from Hradec Kralove. It turned out that the church and the rectory belong to the worldwide Moravian Church. The global network of the Moravian Congregation (written without the letter 'd'!). He gave me a historical overview of the history of Protestant refugees who had to leave Bohemia and Moravia during the Catholic Counter-Reformation because they didn't want to be forcibly Catholicized. In 1722, Count Nikolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf offered a new home to the refugees of faith from Moravia and Bohemia, and thus the now well-known location Herrenhut was founded. Today, the Moravian Congregation forms an independent congregation within the Protestant regional churches in Germany and also in Czechia, like in Potstejn. The interior of the church is designed in the Moravian style as well. Simple, with a clear view of the altar, without a pulpit.

The Moravian Congregation in Potstejn consists of a total of 70 people, some of whom also come from the surrounding area of Pardubice and Hradec Kralove to attend the Sunday service in Potstejn. On average, 40-50 visitors come, unless it's during vacation time. There is no organ, but the church services are accompanied by a guitar, keyboard, or trombone. An electric guitar is also available. There are also regular Bible study and fellowship sessions.

After more than 3 hours of conversation and visiting the church, the pastor mentioned that he actually has another appointment outside, needs to prepare for it, and won't be there overnight. Nevertheless, he offered that I could stay alone in the rectory, which I gladly accepted for this day. I cycled along the romantic Orlice for a bit longer and used the remaining time to write and charge my devices.