Wooden Churches of the Beskydy Foothills

Away from the stone churches of the Czech towns, the foothills of the Beskydy kept a timber tradition. The churches are small, built of squared logs, with steep shingled roofs, low doors and a bell tower either sitting on the church or standing separately in the churchyard. Interiors are dark, painted in places, with wooden galleries and plain benches. Several stand in ordinary villages surrounded by working farms, reached along lanes with no signage in English, and a couple have been moved into open-air collections to keep them standing at all. Seeing two or three in a day, with the Beskydy ridges behind them, is the way to approach this.

The main sights

• The log construction - squared timber walls and shingled roofs, repaired in the same materials.
• The free-standing belfries - separate timber bell towers in several of the churchyards.
• The painted interiors - dark log walls with painted decoration, galleries and simple furnishing.
• The village settings - sloping churchyards with the Beskydy ridge rising behind them.

When to go

May to September, when the lanes are easy and interiors are more likely to be unlocked; many open only for services, so a Sunday morning visit or a call to the parish is often the only way inside. Autumn colour in the foothills suits the dark timber. Winter closes several of them entirely.

What to expect

Most of the time you will see the outside only, and a locked door after a long drive is the normal outcome. The churches are small and start to repeat if you visit several in one day, and interpretation in English barely exists. Public transport between villages is sparse, and some churchyards are steep and muddy.

Nearby

The Wallachian open-air museum at Roznov pod Radhostem shows further timber buildings, with the Radhost ridge above.