Protestant cemetery in Široký Důl

The Protestant cemetery in Široký Důl is a small but historically rich burial ground on the southeastern edge of the village, standing as quiet testimony to centuries of religious struggle in this corner of eastern Bohemia. Široký Důl itself is an unassuming settlement roughly 5 km northwest of Polička, tucked into a deep valley along a small stream — yet its religious history is among the most compelling in the region.

Where did the local Protestant community come from?

The roots of Protestantism here reach back to the Hussite era: from the 15th century onward the area held firmly to the tradition of the chalice, resisting re-Catholicization for generations. After the failed estates' uprising of 1547, the Unity of the Brethren was outlawed, forcing its followers to either renounce their faith or leave the estate by mid-1548. When the Catholic nobleman Vratislav of Pernstein acquired the Litomyšl estate in 1567, he pushed re-Catholicization further, shutting down every remaining Brethren congregation by 1579. Yet a 1651 census reveals how deep the resistance ran — on the Litomyšl side, 21 of 34 residents were still recorded as non-Catholic, meaning hidden Protestant faith persisted well below the official surface.

The real turning point came with Emperor Joseph II's Patent of Toleration, issued on 13 October 1781. In its wake, 33 of 38 families on the Polička side and 7 of 33 families on the Litomyšl side of the village openly registered as evangelicals. The local community joined the Helvetic (Reformed) congregation in nearby Borová, where a prayer house was built as early as 1784.

How did the community's size change over time?

The share of evangelicals in the village was, at one point, remarkably high — 58% in 1797 — but restrictions on mixed marriages combined with waves of emigration steadily eroded that number, down to 34% by 1829. Between 1854 and the outbreak of the First World War, 176 residents left the village altogether, and 173 of them chose America as their new home. By 1921, evangelicals made up only 27% of the village's 570 inhabitants.

Why does the cemetery exist where it does?

The Protestant cemetery was established to serve this minority but deeply rooted faith community, for whom the local Catholic parish church could not serve as a burial site. It sits apart from the village center, in a quiet, secluded spot — a pattern typical of Protestant cemeteries across the Czech lands, which were often deliberately placed away from town centers to avoid confessional friction. Today the site remains connected to the local congregation of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren tied to Polička, and the village continues to preserve it as a marker of its multi-confessional past.

What should visitors know before going?

This is not a conventional tourist attraction but a living site of local memory — modest, quiet, and free of fanfare, yet carrying the story of generations who endured persecution, emigration, and shifting confessional borders. It offers a meaningful stop for anyone interested in the history of the Reformation in Bohemia, or in the story of 19th-century Czech emigration to the United States.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cemetery open to visitors? Yes, as an active burial ground it is accessible, though visitors should be mindful and respectful of those visiting family graves.

Which church is the cemetery associated with? It belongs to the Helvetic (Reformed) tradition, continued today by the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren.

Why did so many residents emigrate? Legal restrictions on mixed marriages, together with difficult economic conditions, pushed dozens of families to leave for America during the second half of the 19th century.