The Wooden Church (Deszkatemplom) is a beautiful church in Miskolc, Hungary. It is built of carved wood. The present building was built in 1999 in place of the previous one that was destroyed by arson in 1997.

The first church was consecrated on September 13, 1637, but both this date and the existence of the church was preserved in tradition only and it's not known whether it is true. The first document mentioning a church at this site dates back to 1698. This church was built of wood, but nothing else is known about it. The first so-called Wooden Church was built in 1724 and it stood until 1937.

István Bató, a 19th century citizen of Miskolc left a large sum to the church. „As long as there are Protestants in Miskolc, this wooden church should be kept in good condition... shall it burn down, it should be built again of wood” he wrote in his will. So when the church became so old and shabby that it had to be destroyed, the citizens decided that the new church has to be built of wood too.

The church was designed by Bálint Szeghalmi. It was made entirely of wood brought from Transylvania and the design had Transylvanian elements too. Transylvania is famous for the art of wood carving. The result was a beautiful and unique church. The construction was finished by 1938.

The church was set on fire by an insane person and burnt down on December 4, 1997. The whole city mourned its loss. An almost identical church was built in its place in 1999.

External links

• [ A picture of the old church (1937–1997)
• Two pictures of the rebuilt church