by
Robert J. Paulson

Obersekerschan

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Obersekerschan was owned by the Chotieschau Cloister.  It was purchased by the Provost Gothard in the year 1253 :the upper and lower Sekerschan” of Prior Johann of the House of our Lord Mother at the foot of the Prague Bridge.  The clerk Schaller a that the village had until then belonged to the “Masters of the Cross with the Red Star”.  In the year 1274 it was delivered to the Bishop Johann that the Provost Miroslaus surrendered the patronage rights to Sekerschan, and that a tepler by the name of Hroznata was named as the pastor of the parish.  Like in other villages under the cloister’s dominion, Obersekerschan was placed in the hands of a lord of the manor especially when the villages owners were in need of money , and freed when the cloister found itself again in good financial standing.  This arrangement lasted until the dissolution of the cloister in 1782 by Emperor Joseph II.  The Church of St. Martin was ordained in 1384, in 1272 the village already had a small chapel dedicated to the martyr Kastulus.  In 1678, the church received a new alter and baptismal font along.  The original wooden bell tower stood next to the church and was replaced with the current tower in 1704.  The church also had a small graveyard which sat on a hill between two streets.  The parish house was built in 1617.  If the residents of Obersekerschandid not work in the nearby mines, they worked in one of the many shops within the town.  Within the small population of the village, most were employed in some sort of trade, or shop.  They all lived relatively well, surrounding the church at the middle of the village.  The churchgoers from the outlying parish used Sundays not only as days of worship, but as a chance to avail themselves of the villages amenities.  The village bank also allowed for financial regulation of the surrounding area.  The village found itself in line with the German traditions of organizations and parties much like the surrounding areas.  Obersekerschan was also the central school for much of the surrounding area, and a three class schoolhouse was built in the village to accommodate children from Wittowa, Radlowitz and Poppowa.  In the Fall of 1938, Obersekerschan found itself annexed to the Third Reich.  The Second World War and its aftermath sentenced the village and its inhabitants to the saddest chapter of their existence.  Of the 320 inhabitants, 258 people in 3 transport cars were shipped to West Germany.  The 4th transport full of anti-fascists was shipped to the DDR.  The only people to remain were German trades people who were willing to join the Czech nation.