Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a Baroque church in Děčín, standing right beside the town's castle and closely tied to the noble Thun-Hohenstein family who once ruled the estate. A covered, arcaded corridor links the church directly to the castle, a physical reminder that the two buildings were designed as one complex.

Why was this church built here?

The current building replaced an older church, first recorded in 1530, which burned down. Count Maxmilián of Thun-Hohenstein, then lord of the Děčín estate, ordered three burgher houses on the site to be bought up and demolished to make room for a new, more representative place of worship. Construction was completed in 1691, by which time the estate belonged to Count Jan Arnošt of Thun-Hohenstein, who also served as Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. For a long stretch of its history, the church functioned purely as the private castle chapel of the ruling family. It only became the town's main parish church under Emperor Joseph II, and remained the sole Catholic church in Děčín until 1878.

What can you see inside and outside?

The church was built on the floor plan of an equal-armed cross, an unusual layout for a Baroque parish church in this part of Bohemia. Its interior is decorated with frescoes by Josef Kramolín, a painter who worked extensively for aristocratic patrons in the region. Beneath the church lies a crypt holding the remains of members of the Thun family, underlining that this was as much a family mausoleum as a place of worship. In the 18th century, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows was added on the church's south side, extending the original footprint. The arcaded corridor connecting the church to the castle remains one of its most distinctive features, visually tying the two buildings into a single noble residence.

How do you get there, and when should you visit?

The church stands in the center of Děčín, immediately next to the castle, making it an easy stop on foot for anyone touring the castle grounds. Děčín, in the Ústí nad Labem region, is well connected by train and road from Prague and from the German side of the border, so the church often draws travelers passing through the Elbe valley on their way toward Saxon Switzerland. The building has been protected as an immovable cultural monument since 3 May 1958, and it underwent restoration in the 1990s that recovered the original color scheme of its facades — the colors visible on the church today. Because the church and castle form one historical complex, it's worth planning a visit to both on the same day rather than treating the church as a separate stop.

Frequently asked questions

Can I visit the church together with Děčín Castle? Yes — the two buildings are physically joined by a covered arcaded corridor, so a combined visit makes sense and the church works as a natural extension of a castle tour.

How old is the church? The current Baroque building replaced an older church first mentioned in 1530 and was completed in 1691.

What makes this church unusual? It holds a crypt with the remains of the Thun family beneath the floor and Baroque frescoes by Josef Kramolín inside — more than a parish church, it also served as the family's burial place.

Was it always the main church in Děčín? No — it started as a private castle chapel and only became the town's main, and for a while only, Catholic church during the reign of Joseph II, a status it kept until 1878.