Arson in Großröhrsdorf destroys 300 year old protestant church
On August 4, the baroque protestant church of Großröhrsdorf, a small town in Saxony, burned down to the ground. After a week of investigation, the criminal investigation department determined that the cause of the fire was arson and a suspect has already been arrested.
According to the investigation carried out by the police, the possibility of negligent arson was excluded, as there had been an explosion during the fire. The only arrested suspect is a 40-year-old man who has already confessed his crime and is in custody. He is accused of serious arson. The spokesman for the Görlitz public prosecutor's office, which is handling the case, said there had been "disputes" between the arsonist and the church and that this was possibly the cause of the arson, but no more information was revealed.
The Großröhrsdorf church was consecrated in 1736 and is practically completely destroyed after the fire. The top of the 50-meter-high bell tower and the roof truss collapsed, and the building burned down to the foundations. A fundraiser for its reconstruction was launched immediately after the tragic event and three days later it had already raised 155,000 euros. Stefan Schwarzenberg, the church's pastor thanked the support by saying "I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who stood by us during and after the night of the fire."
Sources: DNN - Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten; Sächsische.de; mdr.de; Süddeutsche Zeitung; Vatican News; Ekmd.de; Bild.de; Katholisch.de
Photos: Feuerwehr Großröhrsdorf & Gemeindefeuerwehren Wachau
UPDATE: The proceedings againts the 41-year-old suspect will take place at the regional court in Bautzen in February 5.
UPDATE: Ex-Wife of the defendant has tesitifed as a witness in the trial at the Görlitz regional court in Bautzen on the 9th of February that she found a letter one day after the fire. In it he threatened to kidnap the children and destroy their places of refuge: her apartment, her parents' house and the city church where they were once married and one of the children was baptized. The tires on her and her partner's car had previously been slashed.
UPDATE: The court on tuesday the 27th of February 2024 the defendant was found guilty of arson and was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
Source: MDR; Radio Dresden, Zeit