The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Bystřice nad Olší

One of the wooden churches in Těšín Slezska (Cieszyn part of Silesia) is the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Bystřice nad Olší. Today's temple dates from the late 19th century when it replaced the dilapidated church from the 16th century. Older still was the bell tower that stood here as early as 1584, the year in which the current church bell was cast in the contemporary church.

When the faithful decided to build a new church, they dismantled the old beams which were bought by a local citizen who luckily used them to build his timbered house in Bystřice. One of the two altars from the old church was first deposited in the museum in Těšin where it was bought by Archduke Friedrich, known from the poet ‘Petr Bezruč’ work- Silesian songs, as the Marquis Gero. Bedrich used this altar to decorate his mansion in the nearby Polish village of Wisla. The church of Bystřicka is one of the finest examples of wooden church architecture for which makes a visit to the Cieszyn Silesia definitely worth it.