Early History We have no records of the expansion of Hussitism in the area; however, by the 16th century, the town of Zábřeh was predominantly Utraquist (Kališník). During this time, a congregation of the Unity of Brethren (Jednota bratrská) was based here, meeting in the upper church (St. Barbara). A significant number of Brethren families lived in Krumpach, where they owned several houses and ran a school. Brother Jiří Strejc (1536–1599), a distinguished poet of the Unity, was born in Zábřeh. His name can still be found in today’s Evangelical hymnal among the paraphrased biblical psalms.
The Resilience of Faith In the 17th century, Reformation efforts were severed, but interest in God's Word did not disappear. In the hills near Zábřeh lies the village of Svébohov, where, surprisingly, people longing for free access to the Bible appeared. They first flicker in reports from the 18th century, and by the 19th century, their presence was undeniable. After much persecution, in 1860—at the twilight of the "Tolerance Era"—they founded a tiny Reformed congregation with its own chapel. From the beginning of the 20th century, Vicar Rudolf Šedý served there as a preacher. His activities reached the wide surroundings and uniquely contributed to the birth of several congregations: Hrabová, Zábřeh, and Písařov. The Svébohov congregation became part of the Zábřeh congregation in 1956.
Founding of the Zábřeh Congregation In Zábřeh, Czech-speaking Evangelical believers began gathering after World War I in the grammar school (gymnázium) auditorium. A preaching station was established here in 1923. The mother congregation was initially Olomouc, and later the nearer Hrabová, where Vicar Šedý had moved. As the number of members and the scope of work grew, the preaching station was upgraded to a filial congregation in 1928. A year later, the congregation bought a large factory owner's villa and set up a hall and a parsonage apartment within it.
At that time, two distinct streams of Christians met in the Zábřeh congregation. One came from the conversion movement, which, after the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, encouraged Czechs to leave the Roman Catholic Church and join churches "closer to the soul of the nation." The second stream was a group of re-emigrants from Zelów (Poland), who settled in the vacated farmyard of the Zábřeh estate in 1923. These were descendants of exiles who had left their homeland during the Recatholization era out of a desire for freedom of conscience and settled in territory under Prussian administration. The conscious faith of the Zelów re-emigrants, combined with the influence of the "Snaha" missionary movement in the 1920s and 30s, shaped the piety of the Zábřeh congregation. In addition to these two streams, individuals who moved from other Evangelical congregations joined the common life.
The First Republic Era The period of the First Republic was characterized by a lively lecture life, contributed to by representatives of our church as well as guests from abroad. Worship services in Zábřeh were initially led by brothers from the Olomouc mission school, and above all, Vicar Šedý from Hrabová actively commuted here. To date, the congregation has had nine permanent male ministers and one female minister.
In the 1930s, activities also developed in the surrounding area. The most people joined the church in Postřelmov and Sudkov, municipalities of an industrial character. In 1934, a preaching station was founded in Sudkov, where a beautiful and simple church was built in 1937. This marked the peak of the conversion movement in the Zábřeh region.
War and the Sudetenland After the Munich Agreement in the autumn of 1938, the Zábřeh region found itself in the Sudetenland. Connections with the Prague headquarters became difficult; conversely, contacts with other Czech congregations within the Reich territory strengthened (Štramberk, Horní Čermná, Miroslav, Vienna). Czech worship services during the war years were a source of encouragement not only for Evangelicals.
Post-War Development After the war, the congregation became an independent congregation (1945) and participated in the changes in the border regions. It took over a church in Šumperk from the German church and helped establish the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren congregation there. Gatherings began anew in Tatenice, where several Slovak families from the Lutheran Evangelical Church had moved. However, membership there declined until church life ceased completely in 1973.
In Písařov, a congregation had already formed during the First Republic and built a distinct church. Ministers from Zábřeh commuted to Písařov (often by bicycle!) to serve this filial congregation. After the war, gatherings were also added in Červená Voda (in the Old Catholic church). In 1956, both locations were transferred to the congregation in Králíky.
The German Congregation Since 1894, Evangelical services in Zábřeh were also held in German. The German Evangelical congregation owed its existence to the "Los von Rom" (Away from Rome) movement and Protestant entrepreneurs who relocated here from Germany. In 1902, a church was built next to the Brass textile factory (clearly visible when arriving by train from Prague). After World War II, the Germans were forced to leave their homeland. The confiscated church was briefly used by the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, but since the 1950s, it has belonged to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. In the minds of locals, however, it still bears the designation "Evangelical Church."