The Church of Saint George from Lukova (Czech Republic) has earned its reputation as "the most frightening church in the world", after there appeared ghosts who sit on the benches, with bent heads as if they're praying to God.
They are plaster sculptures representing the ghosts of the Germans who lived in Lukova before the Second World War and the reason why the tourism in the area has developed very much.
The ghosts story of the church begins in 1968, when the old place for more than 600 years, has collapsed during a funeral service.
The ceiling fell over the people, who abandoned the place because of superstition, and in the absence of financial resources, the church remained in ruin.
The artist Jakub Hadrava, who was asked by the local authorities to make the place more attractive for tourists, decided to use statues made of sand and cement, which he placed throughout the church, including besides the altar which was built in 1352.
"These statues represent the ghosts of the Germans who lived in Lukova before the Second World War, and who came to pray here every Sunday," Hadrava explained his artistic vision.
"I hope we can prove to the world that this place has a past and that it is an absolutely normal place that was part of everyday life," he added.
According to the church volunteer manager Peter Koukl, since the statues were installed, the church has become a very popular tourist attraction, especially among tourists from Brazil, Australia and Germany.
''It's certainly hair-raising, let's hope it will continue to be cash-raising too. Unfortunately, many objects have been stolen over the years, but the money collected from the tourists will allow us to renovate the place soon so that it looks as much as possible with the original church"
- said Radomir Sedlacek, a local resident of Lukova, quoted by the Daily Mail.
Although the Lukova authorities have stated that tourism is aimed at raising funds for the restoration of the church, no steps have been taken in this regard.
The mouth of the village says the church is cursed, its collapse during a funeral service was not at all accidental, and they think the holy place will never be restored.
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