The National Memorial at Vítkov wants to be a modern museum

Prague - The business card of the National Memorial at Vítkov (NPV), which will be opened to the public after reconstruction:
   
Location: Prague 3 - Žižkov, Vítkov Hill (height 270.4 meters above sea level)
Characteristics: This is a functionalist monument built between 1928 and 1932. It was intended to commemorate the establishment of the Czechoslovak state and the heroism of legionnaires during World War I. Since 1962, it has been a national cultural monument. Eight years ago, the memorial came under the administration of the National Museum.
History: Vítkov Hill was named after a Prague burgher, Vítko of Hory, who had a vineyard here. The location entered historical consciousness on July 14, 1420, when the Hussites led by Jan Žižka from Trocnov triumphed over the Crusaders at Vítkov. In memory of the battle, Vítkov began to be called Žižkův vrch - Žižkov in 1427, the same name as the current Prague district.
Development: The symbolic groundbreaking was carried out by T. G. Masaryk on November 8, 1928. The planned ceremonial opening of the memorial was thwarted by the Munich events. During World War II, it served as a Wehrmacht warehouse. After 1948, the memorial was misused for the promotion of the communist regime. It became a "proletarian pantheon", where notable members of the Communist Party were buried. In 1953, a mausoleum for Klement Gottwald was opened here, which was dismantled in 1962. In 1990, some remains were returned to families, while the remaining unclaimed (including Gottwald's) were interred in a common grave at the Olšany cemeteries in Prague. The National Museum took over the object in 2001 with the aim of rehabilitating it and opening it to the public. Two years ago, the reconstruction of the memorial began.
Building of NPV: The building was designed by architect Jan Zázvorka. The shell of the building was completed in 1932, and the work on the interior continued for another six years. Significant artists contributed to its decoration, such as Vincenc Beneš, Otakar Nejedlý, Max Švabinský, and Jan Štrusa. The height of the main building is 31.5 meters, its length is 143 meters, and its width is 27.6 meters.
Statue of Jan Žižka: In front of the memorial, a bronze equestrian statue of Jan Žižka was unveiled in 1950, which ranks among the ten largest equestrian statues in the world (height: nine meters, length: 9.6 meters, width: five meters, weight: 16.5 tons). The sculptor is Bohumil Kafka. Its reconstruction is planned for 2010 to 2011. The total cost for the repair is estimated by the National Museum to be 30 million crowns.
Grave of the Unknown Soldier: It is located beneath the statue of Jan Žižka. In 1949, the remains of an unknown soldier who fell in battles at Dukla were transferred here. The grave is covered by a granite slab for laying wreaths with the inscription "Glory to the heroes who fell for the homeland," and a large state crest is placed above the grave. In 2006, the remains of General Alois Eliáš and his wife were interred here.
Present: After a two-year reconstruction costing 321 million crowns, the NPV will be reopened on October 28. The National Museum will place a permanent exhibition dedicated to modern history titled "Crossroads of Czech and Czechoslovak Statehood" here.