Development of the museum structure in the Czech Republic and the situation today
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Development of the museum structure in the Czech Republic and the situation today
Any examination of the Czech museum structure initially requires a study of the country’s history. From 1629 the Czech Lands comprised hereditary provinces of the Habsburg Empire and included important cultural and industrial centres. The significance of German language and culture did not decrease for a long time, yet Czech national aspirations intensified. The German, Hungarian, Polish and Ruthenian minorities of the newly formed Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 were assigned the role in the new country that the Czechs had had in the Habsburg Empire. The storms of history hit the country in the 20th century, but its cultural wealth was not greatly damaged. This was to become important for today’s thriving tourist industry. The Czech Republic is similar to Hungary in being capital-centred, yet the draw of the provincial part of the country is also strong. ‘Traditional’ museum institutions have played a relatively small role. The system is also different. Only about half the museums are among the 278 members of the Czech museum association, but there are also 72 honorary and individual members. Fourteen regional units are not organised on a territorial basis, rather in terms of common themes. In this the irregular history of an irregular structure is manifest. The museum structure was formed on the basis of 19th-century traditions and the effect of this remained very strong for a long time. Museum foundation still continues. The Prague-centred museum structure cannot really be called a structure for the 21st century and even the country’s second largest city, Brno, does not compete with the capital’s museums. However, it seems that the provincial museums don’t want to engage in that. Rather they preserve traditions as the well-functioning centres of regional culture and tourism.