Hussite church

Sbor Božích bojovníků — the Assembly of God's Warriors of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church — is one of Tábor's most distinctive, if rarely visited by tourists, examples of interwar modernist church architecture. It stands on a steep slope between Farského and Budějovická streets, its tall tower visible across much of the town, in a city that itself was founded in 1420 by the radical wing of the Hussite movement.

Where did this church come from, and who designed it?

The building went up between 1938 and 1939, designed by Prague architects Václav Vejrych and Jaroslav Kabeš in the austere, purist style of interwar modernism. It was solemnly consecrated on 6 July 1939 — already under German occupation — yet the consecration service was broadcast on the radio and drew roughly ten thousand worshippers and fifty-four clergy. That turnout says something about how much the opening of this church meant to the local congregation of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, itself a young institution founded only a couple of decades earlier after the collapse of Austria-Hungary.

What does the complex look like?

The ensemble is made up of four linked parts: the prayer hall, the parish house, the tower, and a columbarium. The prayer hall is entered from Farského street, while the columbarium has its own entrance from Budějovická street. The main nave measures 18 metres long, 12 metres wide and 8 metres high, with a segmented ceiling designed to give the space good acoustics for organ music, singing, and the spoken word. The tower rises 34 metres and is topped with a copper chalice — the classic Hussite emblem — itself 2.5 metres tall and 1.6 metres wide.

What is inside?

The interior includes sculptures by J. V. Dušek depicting Christ alongside figures central to the Hussite and Reformation tradition: Jan Žižka, Jan Hus, Jan Amos Komenský and Petr Chelčický. The organ was played for the first time on 20 April 1946, and the sculptures were formally dedicated on 23 March 1947 — both dates well after the war's end, showing that fitting out the interior remained unfinished business for years.

Is it a protected monument, and can visitors go inside?

The building is listed in the Czech heritage register as a kulturní památka under the name Sbor Božích bojovníků Církve československé husitské. It underwent a renovation costing 560,000 Czech crowns after 2010. Access is occasional rather than continuous — regular services are held on the second and fourth Sunday of the month at 4 pm, with the parish contact being Mgr Eva Červená.

How does it compare with Tábor's other churches?

Unlike the Gothic and Baroque churches that otherwise define Tábor's religious landscape — the Augustinian monastery, the Klokoty pilgrimage sanctuary, or the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross — Sbor Božích bojovníků belongs to a completely different century and a completely different confession. It's a 20th-century functionalist building, commissioned by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, which deliberately claims Jan Hus and the Hussite movement as its spiritual forebears. In a town that itself grew out of the Hussite revolution, this church closes a historical loop — from the medieval Táborites to a modern congregation that carries their name.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly does Sbor Božích bojovníků stand? On a steep slope between Farského and Budějovická streets in Tábor, a short distance from the town centre.

When was the church built? It was constructed between 1938 and 1939 and consecrated on 6 July 1939.

Who designed it? Prague architects Václav Vejrych and Jaroslav Kabeš, in a purist modernist style.

What is the church's most distinctive feature? A 34-metre tower topped with a copper chalice — the Hussite emblem — plus sculptures by J. V. Dušek depicting figures such as Jan Hus and Jan Žižka.

Can you visit the interior? Access is occasional; regular services take place on the second and fourth Sunday of each month at 4 pm.