Ostrava’s Divine Saviour Cathedral is about to undergo a big change. The main cathedral of the Ostrava-Opava diocese will get a first-class organ, which it has been waiting for since its construction in the 1880s. The story of the instrument itself, the organ, is extraordinary.

The organ was originally built in 1981 for the Palace of Culture in Prague and had 87 registers (ranks of pipes). The state spared no expense and ordered the best parts from abroad. According to organologists, it is the finest instrument created in Czechoslovakia at that time. In the Congress Hall of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, the organ accompanied party congresses. After 1989, however, they became redundant. The Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava took them over and used them in the House of Culture in Ostrava. Today, however, in view of the planned construction of a new concert hall for the Philharmonic, the question has again arisen as to what will become of the top-quality instrument. There was also the option of dismantling the instrument and selling it off, as it is not suitable for many spaces – fortunately this did not happen!

The idea of moving the instrument to the Ostrava Cathedral came up. An instrument brought from Germany in the 1990s is currently used for services and concerts there. Unfortunately, their sound is insufficient for the monumental space of the cathedral (the second largest church in Moravia). Nevertheless, the existing organ from the cathedral will continue to serve thanks to the sale to a smaller church.