Bogumił Šwjela – Pfarrer der Bekennenden Kirche in Dissen. Ein Brief in der Turmkugel als Credo seines Glaubens, seiner Überzeugungen und Handlungen

Abstract

Bogumił Šwjela – Pastor of the Confessing Church in Dissen. A letter in the Tower Ball as a Profession of his Faith, Convictions and Actions

The discovery of a letter written by Šwjela in 1936 can be seen as providing a document, which proves the credo of his work: a cautious acknowledgement of the new political conditions in Germany, a reference to the unfinished confessional struggle between the German Christians and the followers of the Confessing Church, as well as the use of the Wendish language in his community, with an uncertain future in the face of state obstruction. The reconstruction of the church was completed one year later. The influence of the pastor of the Confessing Church is considerable. In the course of the artistic design of the church by the artist Paul Thol, who was close to the National Socialists, a number of gallery quotations in the Wendish and German languages were put in place. The participation of Sorbian artists and artisans is also discussed.