On November 17, a tunnel will open between the two NM buildings

Prague – The tunnel, which has been under construction for several years between the historic building of the National Museum and the opposite museum building that used to be the Federal Assembly, will open on November 17. Lenka Boučková, the head of the external relations department at the NM, said this in response to a question from ČTK today. The new corridor under Vinohradská Street will enable barrier-free passage between both buildings. On the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the National Museum will also open its first permanent exhibition dedicated to Czech and Slovak history of the 20th century.

It will include events of 1989, alongside an exhibition by the Slovak National Museum dedicated to the 1989 revolution in Slovakia. The exhibition will primarily be held in the new museum building, which will be connected to the historic one by the new underground tunnel.

On the renovated surfaces between the museum buildings, the museum, in collaboration with Czech Radio (ČRo), will prepare an interactive exhibition dedicated to the events of 1989 for the anniversary of November 1989. From November 18, a special ČRo studio will broadcast from the museum for seven days, reflecting day by day the events from that time 30 years ago. The museum is also preparing a video mapping on the facade of the historic building, similar to last year when the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia was celebrated.

The excavation of the tunnel was part of the reconstruction of the main museum building, which was completed last year with the opening on the anniversary of the founding of the republic. New exhibitions are gradually being opened in the historic building, and all exhibits in the original museum building and the new building are expected to be open by mid-2020.

The National Museum underwent reconstruction for 3.5 years, was closed for seven years, and the general renovation cost 1.8 billion crowns. Thanks to this, exhibition spaces will expand by 30 percent.