The museum achievement of the year 2024 is the renovation of the premises of the Hydrotherapy Institute in Luhačovice

Prague - The museum achievement of the year 2024 became the project Sun Baths: Restoration of the heritage site of the Hydropathic Institute in Luhačovice. In this category of the Gloria musaealis awards, it was successful along with the Museum of Southeast Moravia in Zlín and the Lázně Luhačovice company. The reconstruction of the complex of buildings returned a significant landmark to the city. Today, the organizers presented the awards for the best performances of museum professionals and institutions from the past year at the Municipal House in Prague.

"Part of the project, which became a model of cooperation between the public and private sectors, included the creation of a place to present the life and work of two great personalities - architect Dušan Jurkovič and composer Leoš Janáček," stated the jury of the competition organized by the Association of Museums and Galleries.

The buildings were designed by Slovak architect Jurkovič and were constructed at the beginning of the last century. The Hydropathic Institute and Sun Baths are cultural monuments. The reconstruction preparation began in 2016, and work started in March 2021. The costs were 155 million crowns, of which 71 million crowns were European subsidies, while the rest was provided by the spa.

As the second best museum achievement, the jury evaluated the project Connected by Glass! of the City Museum in Železný Brod. The third place went to the project ARCHy: Stories of the Semler Residence of the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň.

The Gloria musaealis awards have three categories. In the category of Museum Exhibition of the Year 2024, the first prize was awarded to the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague for the exhibition New Realisms: Modern Realistic Approaches in the Czechoslovak Art Scene (1918 - 1945). According to the jury, the exhibition opened new perspectives on the manifestations of realism in Czechoslovakia, the development of technologies, women's emancipation, and the work of authors from ethnic minorities. The second place award went to the staff of the Podbrdské Museum for the exhibition Phenomenon of the Zalánská Madonna. The third place was awarded to the Vysočina Museum in Třebíč for the exhibition Imprints of the Old Empire: Zdeněk Řezníček and His Friendship with Josef Florian and Bohuslav Reynk.

There is also a category for museum publications, in which the book Piarists in Litomyšl from the Regional Museum in Litomyšl won. The publication focuses on the work and social influence of the Piarist order in Litomyšl from the post-Battle of White Mountain period to the mid-20th century. The second place was taken by the National Gallery in Prague for the publication From Michelangelo to Callot: The Art of Graphic Mannerism by authors Blanka Kubíková and Alena Volrábová. The third place belongs to the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague for the publication Are We Living Humanely? Housing Reform 1914 - 1948: The Union of Czechoslovak Works by author Iva Knobloch.

A special award was given to representatives of the City Museum Moravská Třebová for the permanent exhibition Year in Hřebečsko: Folk Culture, Piety, and Everyday Life.

In the 23rd edition of the National Museum Competition Gloria musaealis, 72 institutions submitted 110 projects. The winning projects will be further presented at the National Opening of the Museum Night Festival on May 16 in Luhačovice.