Protestant Monuments

Horní Čermná

Horní Čermná

Horní Čermná can be found in the eastern part of the Pardubice Region, to the north of Lanškroun. It is situated in beautiful, wooded countryside in Podorlicko region at an altitude of 421 metres. It is a typical valley village: around 1,500 people live in the valley which is 7 kilometres long. The first mention of Čermná is from the 14th century when it was inhabited by the German colonists. At this time the domain belonged to the diocese in Litomyšl. In 1421 the Hussites conquered Litomyšl and since then the Czech population which professed the Hussite faith and later also the faith of the Unity of Brethren, has prevailed. In the land register of 1536 the records are mostly in the Czech language. The bell of today‘s Roman Catholic Church has got Czech inscription and inscribed the year 1536. The family of Kostkas of Postupice bought the domain in the 15th century and they also supported the Utraquist faith. However, things changed in 1620 after the Battle of the White Mountain. Charles of Lichtenstein became the new owner of the domain. He performed, with the help of Jesuits, hard counter-Reformation measures. Many Protestants from Čermná left to live abroad in the early 18th century. Some of them found their home in German Rixdorf (a part of Berlin), others learnt about the foundation of the Restored Unity of Brethren in Herrhut (Ochranov in Czech) in Saxony and moved there. Those who remained, became the witnesses of the Toleration Patent by Joseph II in 1781.

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