Hirschau / Hyršov – Jelenní

The convent is coming back to life.

Not because everything behind its walls has already changed. It is alive again because its story is being seen, read and preserved once more.

Discover the story View photographs

This is Hyršov. The former convent beside the Church of the Good Shepherd.

An abandoned place at the heart of the village

I had no obvious plan for the convent.

It was an abandoned house in the centre of the village: remarkable, unusual and impossible to overlook. Only on closer acquaintance did it become clear how exceptionally well it had been built — and that this is why it survived decades of neglect and serious damage.

Today I am its owner, looking for a way to bring it back to life with respect for the place, the sisters and the surrounding landscape.

Aerial view of the former convent and garden

A past that has not disappeared

The story of the Czech Notre Dame sisters began in Hyršov.

1842

Gabriel Schneider arrives in Hirschau / Hyršov and begins developing the idea of a school and religious house.

1851

The first School Sisters arrive in Hyršov and begin teaching here.

1853

Hyršov becomes the birthplace of the Congregation of the Czech School Sisters of Notre Dame.

Today

The house is still standing. Its next chapter is now beginning.

A house that endured

Holes in the roof. Water. And still it stands.

The roof was damaged and water entered the house for many years. It did not, however, flow directly into the main load-bearing structures or the tie beams of the roof frame. That is the sole reason the convent still stands despite decades of neglect. The first task is to halt further decay, secure the roof and sensitively restore what has survived.

Fortunately, the Good Shepherd watched over the convent.

A future without ready-made answers

A living place for culture, memory and encounter.

We do not wish to pretend that there is a finished vision. One day the convent may bring together cultural events, a small museum, care for the landscape and garden, community gatherings and a quiet refuge for people who come in search of the place’s story.

Our sisters

Faces, names and memories.

The convent is more than a building. It lives on in the memory of the sisters and the people whose lives it touched. Here we hope gradually to preserve authentic portraits, life stories, photographs, letters and personal recollections.

Gallery

The convent up close and from above.

Help the house survive

Every part saved opens the way for the next.

We are seeking experts, witnesses, volunteers, partners and donors. If you have photographs, documents or a personal memory connected with Hyršov, please contact us.

Write to us about Hyršov

Contact

Hirschau / Hyršov – Jelenní

E-mailmichaelaklinderova@gmail.com