Church of Saint Urban in Rybáře

Location: On a rocky bill in the park in the Karlovy Vary district of Rybáře
Period of construction: After 1500
Architect: Unknown
Official opening: After 1500
Accessibility: Not accessible

How to get there

Route 1:        A long walk will take you to the church from the spa centre. From the Hot Spring, walk along the Teplá River up to Tržnice (Market) where you will cross Chebský most (Cheb Bridge) into the district of Rybáře. Continue down Sokolovská Street to the School of Ceramics. After entering the park, climb up the small hill to the church. This route is approximately 3 kilometres long and takes about 45 minutes.

Route 2:        If you decide for the second, easier route, take Bus No. 1, Bus No. 9, Bus No. 12, Bus No. 13, Bus No. 15 or Bus No. 22 from the "Tržnice" (Market) stop to the "Keramická škola" (School of Ceramics) stop. From there, walk only about 150 metres through the park and up the small hill to the church.

History of the structure

The late Gothic Church of Saint Urban in the district of Rybáře was erected by an unknown builder in the 1500s on the site of an older Romanesque church, which had been standing at the top of a high bill since the 10^th century. The church was originally surrounded by a cemetery. The Gothic structure underwent extensive reconstruction in Empire style between the years 1832 and 1833, during which a new prismatic tower was built. However, with the construction of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in 1906, the medieval Church of Saint Urban was put out of use and designated for demolition. In 1921, the cemetery surrounding the church, which was no longer in use, was transformed into a town park. The former church was converted into a memorial to World War I victims between 1938 and 1939.

Following the annexation of the border regions by the Third Reich, it served as a national liberation memorial and as a memorial of the Red Army after 1948. While the early 1990s brought about its complete devastation, the historically valuable structure has been rising from ruins owing to the efforts of the Civic Association for the Preservation of the Church of Saint Urban. And even though the site remains inaccessible during reconstruction, the gradually renovated structure is certainly worth your attention.