Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Suchá near Jáchymov
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands roughly in the centre of the settlement of Suchá, today a part of Jáchymov. It was built between 1927 and 1929 to serve the inhabitants of this part of the town, which lay relatively far from the main parish church. The building belongs to the wave of small interwar sacred constructions that often arose from local initiative and were financed through public collections.
A preparatory committee headed by Johann Öehm as chairman and Johann Pepperl as secretary initially planned only a simple chapel, but later adopted the more ambitious project of building a church. Funds were collected mainly among the residents of Suchá and Jáchymov, while the town itself contributed by supplying construction timber. By 1928, the available funds amounting to 60,000 crowns had been exhausted, leaving no money for a bell.
The church building committee therefore borrowed a historic bell from 1630 made by the bell founder Hans Zinck, which had been kept in the Municipal Museum in Jáchymov. The loan was guaranteed by chairman J. Öehm, deputy chairman K. Hahne and the head teacher of the Suchá school, J. Drumm, who also served as the committee’s treasurer. Thanks to this arrangement, the church could be solemnly consecrated on 20 October 1929. In 1940 the town of Jáchymov requested the bell’s return, which the local inhabitants delayed, as the church would otherwise have remained without a bell. In 1941, however, it was confiscated like many other bells in Jáchymov and the surrounding area and melted down for wartime purposes.
After 2000 the town of Jáchymov had the church completely renovated with financial support from the Karlovy Vary Region. The roof was replaced, the façades repaired and the interior restored.
Today the church serves as a meeting place for residents and visitors alike. Concerts and other cultural events are held here, and at Christmas a regular Mass is celebrated. From spring to autumn the entrance is secured with a grille, allowing visitors at least a partial view of the interior. Although the building is not among the most historically significant monuments of the town, it retains considerable local importance and represents an important reminder of community life in the interwar period.
