Remembering the rulers before there was a republic

As the Czech Republic's first direct presidential election approaches, the National Museum has opened an exhibition about the Habsburgs, the rulers of Austria-Hungary. "Monarchy" focuses on the reign of Emperor Franz Josef, a time full of economic, social and political changes, when industrialization and urbanization altered the face of Bohemia and all of Europe.

The series of exhibitions started last June, with the National Museum's various satellite branches showing, for example, music, sports and food from the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. These smaller exhibitions have been displayed in the National Memorial on Vítkov Hill, the Czech Museum of Music, the Ethnographical Museum-Musaion and the Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures, and now the whole series culminates in the National Museum New Building.

"The time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy is certainly an important period in our history that we remember from school," wrote Michal Lukeš, the general director of the National Museum, in comments introducing the exhibition. "We often see it through cliché, ideological views and legends. But what was life really like in the time of His Majesty? The 'Monarchy' exhibition will help visitors to the National Museum answer this question. They can come not just to educate themselves, but also to move nostalgically through time."

"Monarchy" offers visitors a look at how tradition met modernity. There are a historical post office and a working pneumatic tube through which visitors can send letters; there are also examples of period kitchens, railway stations and factories. The Habsburg monarchy is represented by clothing and accessories such as the dress of Empress Elisabeth, or Sisi, as she was called informally, Franz Josef's uniform and a necklace that belonged to Naděžda Kramářová. Many other interesting subjects can be seen, such as a walking stick belonging to Jan Neruda and a handkerchief stained by the blood of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Josef's nephew and heir apparent, shot in Sarajevo to begin World War I and end the empire.   

A second part of the exhibition focuses on the lives of children under Franz Josef, presenting clothing, games and toys, as well as a look at education. Class becomes very apparent here. The poor played with wooden sticks; rich kids had laterna magika projectors.

Guests are also asked to contribute to the exhibition. The last part includes photos of different people who lived under the monarchy, and the National Museum issued an invitation asking visitors to send pictures of their own family members originating between 1848 and 1918, which will be put on display alongside those of the noblefolk.

The exhibition is entertaining and interactive as well as informative and enriching, representing a great move on the part of the National Museum, especially coming so soon after its expansion into the former Communist Federal Assembly building most recently occupied by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The exhibition shows visitors the museum's new modern face in the context of the nation's deep traditions.

Monika Ticháčková can be reached at
mtichackova@praguepost.com