Basic information
The red church was built at the beginning of the 20th century by German Protestants from Olomouc according to the architectural design of Max Löw. The foundation stone of the building was laid on 16 May 1901 and the church was completed a year later. The use of red bricks for its construction, typical of German Brick Gothic, inspired the use of the name Red Church, which literally became popular. Its dominant feature is the 55-metre high tower.
The church was first used by local German Protestants, then after World War II it was taken over by the Czech Brethren Evangelical Church. At the beginning of the 1960s, it joined its fate with the neighbouring Scientific Library in Olomouc and became a warehouse of book collections for almost 60 years. About 300,000 volumes were only moved out of the church in the first half of 2019, when they were taken to a new depository in Olomouc-Hejcin.
Since VKOL had long lacked representative and sufficient capacity premises for its cultural and educational activities, it was decided that the church would be used for cultural purposes. In 2017, a study for its reconstruction was prepared by the studio of architect Miroslav Pospíšil. However, the completely different function of the church included the construction of facilities for the library and visitors, which were placed in a new building connecting the church with the headquarters building. The two-and-a-half-year renovation, which began in the autumn of 2020, was completed in the spring of 2023, and on 17 May the church was officially opened to the public after more than 60 years.
Today it serves as a multi-purpose cultural and social center for VKOL, hosting regular exhibitions, tours, concerts, lectures, talks, author readings and workshops.