The 2nd round of the competition for the exhibition in Ústí has 4 proposals that advanced

Ústí nad Labem - From nearly three dozen proposals for the exhibition on Czech-German relations in the Czech lands at the Museum of the City of Ústí nad Labem, the jury selected four that advanced to the second round. According to Blanka Mouralová, director of the Collegium Bohemicum association, which is preparing the exhibition in the newly renovated museum building, the architects took their time in submitting competition proposals.
    "At first, we were very worried, even though experienced architects reassured us. They told us that proposals usually come at the last minute. We had no idea that it meant the last two hours," Mouralová told ČTK today. The authors of 29 proposals managed to submit in time, but one arrived late at the Collegium office on Brněnská Street in Ústí.
    According to Mouralová, the jury began deliberating at Větruše at half-past eight in the morning and continued until nine in the evening. "Each contestant submitted four panels in the prescribed format of 100 by 70 centimeters," she stated. The jurors had an hour and a half to write down what they liked and why. In the first of three elimination rounds, they set aside 12 out of the 29 accepted proposals.
    "A discussion arose about how the exhibition should handle the exhibits and what type of viewer impression is expected. One very beautiful proposal would create more of a monument than a colorful exhibition. Another proposal brought dramatic and well-executed scenes but needed almost no exhibits," the director described the proposals.
    Four proposals advanced to the second round. In this round, the developers will receive not only information about the individual exhibition rooms as in the first round, but also photographs and dimensions of the items. According to Mouralová, they will also learn how each specific room should communicate with visitors.
    "For the first time, Collegium Bohemicum presented its concept, which it worked on for two years, to experts from another field. Architects think differently than historians or curators. However, they showed that they understood the concept and were able to retell it in their own way," Mouralová noted.
    The proposals will be displayed by the association in the reconstructed museum from June 29, including the jury's statements on them. The winning author will receive a reward of 250,000 crowns.
    The exhibition will be located over two floors covering an area of 1,500 square meters. It is not an exhibition about Czech-German relations in the international sense, but rather about the history of coexistence between Czech and German-speaking residents in the Czech lands.