František Štěpán’s nativity scene

About the exposition

The mechanical nativity scene at Kudowa Zdroj Spa can be seen all year round. It is located in Čermná on the way to the Open-air Museum in Stroužná. The creator of the mechanical nativity scene and organ in Kudowa Zdroja was František Štěpán, a native of Bohemia. Already at the age of 15, he began to devote himself to carving and spent every free moment engrossed in this hobby. Thus after 20 years, in 1924, a nativity scene was created consisting of 250 figures carved from linden wood.

Initially, the nativity scene moved manually, but in 1927 it was brought to life mechanically. František wanted to enrich his work, thus he started building an organ in 1930, which he finished in 1938. The organ has 270 pipes – voices and 10 registers made from linden wood.

The moving nativity scene enjoys great interest and recognition from both local residents and tourists or spa guests visiting the Kudowa Zdroj Spa.

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