Ratiboř

For a long time we have been toying with the idea of visiting the places where our great-ancestors, the Moravian brothers, who left their homeland before religious persecution, took refuge. They were looking for a place where they could freely profess their faith. They found such a place near our borders in Saxony. The Zápalkova family took charge of organizing the tour, especially Mrs. Naďa, who has extensive experience in organizing tours. We from Ratiboř were also joined by interested parties from Hošťálková, Kateřinice and Vsetín. We set off on Friday 9 June 2023 in the morning. We were accompanied by good weather and a good mood. During the entire trip, Mrs. Naďa gave us detailed information about the places and cities we passed. The goal of the first day was the city of Zittau (Žitava in Czech). It is a district town with 25,000 inhabitants located in the Saxon part of Upper Lusatia. It lies on the tri-border of three countries – Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. Previously, Žitava also belonged to the historical territory of Bohemia. In its heyday, it was known as a center for linen. In Žitav, we visited the most important sights, among which are the unique medieval Lenten cloths, which were used to cover the altar part of the church during Lent. It is a Great Lenten canvas with dimensions of about 56 m2, where biblical scenes from the Old and New Testament from creation are depicted on 90 fields until the last judgment. The canvas is exhibited in the secularized church of St. Crisis. The second cloth is called the Small Lenten Cloth, although its dimensions are also respectable. It depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and is displayed in the former Franciscan convent. After viewing the canvases, we went on a tour of this peaceful town with a pleasant atmosphere. In addition to the most important monuments, such as salt pans and a row of churches, we also saw flower clocks and heard a carillon. After the tour of the city, we went to the accommodation we had secured at the U Martina guesthouse in Liberec, in an attractive location below Ještěd.

The next morning, a rich breakfast awaited us, after which we set off on the second part of our trip. She visited the town of Herrnhut, where, among other things, the factory for the production of Herrnhutská is located Christmas stars. Herrnhut is a small town with 6,000 inhabitants, which is very important to us Evangelicals, especially those from Moravia. They were it was the evangelicals from Moravia - from Suchdol nad Odra and the surrounding area, who left their homeland in 1722 to find refuge in Saxony, not far from our borders, on the estate of Count Zinzendorf, where they founded the settlement of Herrnhut (Ochranov in Czech). The settlement later grew into a city that celebrated its 300th anniversary last year. These Moravian brothers, as they were called, restored the existence of the Brethren Unity, built a prayer house and founded schools, some of which still exist today. Some of them went as missionaries to almost every continent in the world, including Africa, South America or Greenland, to spread the Gospel of Christ. All this is documented in the local museum. From the guide who accompanied us, we learned a lot of interesting facts about the Moravian Brothers, we visited the historical cemetery and the observation deck, from where our Ještěd can be seen. However, the town of Herrnhut has another attraction. This is a manufactory for the production of unique Christmas stars - Herrnhuter Sterne, which are not produced anywhere else in the world. On the contrary, in many places around the world we can find them shining during Advent and Christmas. We in Ratiboř can look forward to seeing one of these stars shining on our church. It will shine on everyone who walks or drives by. A number of small stars will also shine on the Christmas trees in our homes. Our stay in Herrnhut, which was made even more pleasant by the beautiful sunny weather, was coming to an end. Full of new impressions, we set off on the return trip, which went by quickly thanks to the singing of songs accompanied by the guitar of priest Marosz from Hošťálková. I think I can say for everyone, that it was a very successful trip. I would like to thank the organizers of the tour, especially Mrs. Nada Zápalková, Peter for the interpretation, all the participants of the tour for the pleasant company and last but not least also the Lord God who accompanied us on our journey.

Ruženka Hříbková