This past October 2018, Czech Republic celebrated 100 years of its independence. While visiting the town of Luhacovice, I also discovered that their town’s museum is also sharing the celebration with its own centennial exhibition.
The spa town of Luhacovice lies in the southeastern part of the Czech Republic in the district of Zlin. Luhacovice’s location is near the historical border with Slovakia, which is why they have close connections with Slovak culture. Here, one hundred years ago under the direction of a local native ethnographer Antonín Václavík, a regional museum was opened. The preparation started in the Autumn of 1917, where Václavík called spa physician Arnold Kučera, spa director Václav Zajíc and teacher Josef Krystinek to be part of the preparatory committee for the establishment of a museum in Luhacovice. The committee reached out to all of the municipalities around, inviting their inhabitants to contribute by searching for and collecting items as well as information for the museum, focusing on following the enclosed instructions.
At the beginning of the new year, each one of the preparatory committee members chose a village to take over the collected materials. Even during the difficult period of World War I, they were able to gather so many exhibits that they opened “The Museum of the Slovácky Zálesí” in a building called the Mansion on July 28th of 1918. Antonín Václavík undertook the categorization and installation of the collection, developing public and promotional activities. The museum was able to expand thanks to the financial support of federal funds. Antonín Václavík also published a monograph in 1930 of Luhacovice Zalesi’s vast collection of items.
Today, the Museum of Luhačovice Zálesí is part of the Museum of Southeast Moravia in Zlín, located at the new site of the cultural house Elektra in Luhacovice. The museum is celebrating its centennial with an exhibition called “Known and Unknown Luhačovice,” combining three views of the early 20th century in Luhacovice. Its curator and museum director Dr. Blanka Petráková explained that the exhibition looks to understand the traditional ethnographic region, starting with the traditional lifestyle in the countryside to the development of the spa industry and the establishment of the city of Luhacovice.
The exhibition’s stunning colors and attention to detail is worth visiting.
If you go: Masarykova 950, 763 26 Luhačovice, Czech Republic.
Hours: Every day except Monday from 9:00-12:00 p.m., 1:00-5:00 p.m.
More Information: Luhacovice Museum
I visited Luhacovice Museum as a guest of Czech Tourism and the East-Moravian Tourist Authority. However, all opinions are strictly my own.
I loved this museum, but never got to write about the exhibit we saw with the folk costumes. Now they have a great exhibit on the architect that designed many of the town’s most famous buildings – would love to go and see that too!
The folk costumes are very colorful and beautiful. I am glad they took the time to create this exhibit. Yes, next time, I also would love to visit the buildings.